High Altitude Performance Of A 64 Foot Diameter Ring Sail Parachute

Inflation, drag, and stability characteristics of an 85.3-foot (26 meter) nominal diameter ringsail parachute deployed at a Mach number of 1.15 and at an altitude of 132,600 feet (40.42 kilometers) were obtained from the first flight test of the Planetary Entry Parachute Program. After deployment, the parachute inflated to the reefed condition. However, the canopy was unstable and produced low drag in the reefed condition. [remainder of summary illegible].

Ten flight tests of modified-ringsail, disk-gap-band, and cross parachute configurations with deployment at Mach numbers and dynamic pressures corresponding to conditions expected during entry into a Martian atmosphere have been completed. Comparison of flight results indicates that theoretical snatch force values were never exceeded when the deployment techniques of these tests were used. Opening loads showed no definite trend with Mach number. Values for filling times compared favorably with generally accepted empirical curves based on 15-percent geometric porosity. Canopy stability was good when Mach numbers were below 1.4 for the modified-ringsail and disk-gap-band configurations.

This document serves as the third revision of the USAF Parachute Handbook which was first published in 1951. The data and information represent the current state of the art relative to recovery system design and development. The initial chapters describe representative recovery applications, components, subsystems, material, manufacture and testing. The final chapters provide empirical data and analytical methods useful for predicting performance and presenting a definitive design of selected components into a reliable recovery system.