Object Details
Manufacturer
Parasystems, Inc.
Summary
This is a Gemini ringsail drogue parachute test article. Manufactured by Parasystems Inc. in 1964, it is made largely of nylon and is 2.4 m (8 ft) in diameter when fully deployed. Carried in the Rendezvous and Recovery Section at the front of the capsule, the drogue parachute deployed to stablize the spacecraft before the deployment of the main parachute, which occurred with the separation of the Rendezvous and Recovery Section.
In 1971, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company in St. Louis transferred many leftover artifacts from the Gemini program to the Smithsonian on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including this parachute. The former McDonnell Aircraft Corporation had manufactured the Gemini spacecraft.
Credit Line
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation
Date
1964
Inventory Number
A19720502001
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
EQUIPMENT-Parachutes
Materials
Ripstop nylon, Synthetic Fabric, Adhesive, Steel, Nylon
Dimensions
Approximate: 12.7 x 340.36 x 154.94cm (5in. x 11ft 2in. x 5ft 1in.) (as photographed)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19720502001