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The ringsail parachute, whose basic design is shown in Figure 6-28 and described in
detail in Reference 5.50, was used as main descent parachute for the three manned spacecraft,
Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo (References 5.10, 6.90, and 6.91), and for the crew modules of
the F-Ill and B-1 bombers (References 5.169 and 5.170). After the Apollo program, NASA

CON ICAL
RINGSLOT
PART
PA T QUARTER-SPHERICAL
RINGSAIL PART
Dc

CANOPY CROSS SECTION

h5

LATED PRO
IIN LEe['---

Le GORE DESIGN

SAIL DESIGN
S(f-FULLNESS)
Do= 1, 1284 ¢r~

hs = 0.519DQ e= es + 2 f
es = 6.44(h,/NC;)sin54" Le/Do = 1.0
hc = 24 to 36 inches NSL = 0.75 to 0,85 1).

FIGURE 6-28. Typical Design of Ringsail Parachute.

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funded programs for the development and testing of a cluster of approximately

125-foot-diameter ringsail parachutes and a single 189-foot-diameter parachute; both were
successful programs (References 6.20 and 6.21).
The ringsail parachute has a characteristic that is beneficial for a single parachute but
creates problems in cluster operation. Large, reefed ringsail parachutes open quickly into the
first reefed stage; thereafter, additional rings inflate slowly before disreef. Quick opening is
advantageous for single parachutes but creates a lead/lag chute situation in a cluster of three
independently deployed Apollo main parachutes. The leading parachute or parachutes
further increase in diameter during reefed inflation, crowding out the lagging chute or chutes
and causing large differences in opening times and forces. To prevent this situation, a wide slot
is placed betweet, the fourth and fifth rings, preventing the leading chute or chutes from
inflating further in the first reefed stage and permitting more uniform inflation of all three
parachutes.
Disk-Gap-Band Parachutes. The disk-gap-band parachute, a NASA development, was
used in the Viking program for assisting in the landing of two probes on Mars. The
disk-gap-band parachute consists of a flat solid material top, a cylindrical extension on the
canopy skirt, and a single slot or gap between the top and the extension, somewhat similar to a
one-slot rir-slot parachute. References 5.55 and 5.56 and 6.22 describe design and testing of
this parachute.

6.3 Design of Parachute Assemblies and Components

A parachute assembly consists of several components (a typical assembly is shown in
Figure 6-11). In addition, the total parachute system may consist of a cluster of several
parachute assemblies. This section describes the design and operation of the various
components that constitute a parachute assembly.

6.3.1 Parachute Clusters

6.3.1.1 Cluster Configurations
Three typical parachute cluster configurations are shown in Figure 6-29. Configuration
(a) is used on parachute clusters for the airdrop of heavy military equipment and has been used
successfully for loads up to 50,000 pounds and clusters of 10 100-foot-diameter G-11 cargo
parachutes. Platforms containing the loads are extracted from the cargo compartment of the
aircraft by a single parachute or a cluster of two or three ringslot parachutes. After the
platform has left the aircraft, the extraction-parachute assembly is disconnected from the
platform and lifts the tied-together main parachute deployment bags off the platform. The
extraction paracl ute then serves as pilot chute for the deployment of the main parachutes.
The extracti, i chute/pilot chute/bridle/deployment-bag assembly disconnects from the main
parachutes and must be retrieved individually.

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