Design and Performance of a Parachute for Supersonic and Subsonic Recovery of an 800-Lb Payload

摘要

The design and development of a parachute system to recover an 800-lb test payload flying at both supersonic and subsonic speeds are presented. Performance data from full-scale flight tests for several parachute configurations were used to define an acceptable parachute system and to gain insight into which design parameters are most critical for supersonic parachute design. The suspension line length, canopy configuration, and forebody wake have a major effect upon parachute performance and stability. A tractor rocket was used to deploy this parachute system successfully at all deployment speeds. (ERA citation 11:051597)