MODULAR ASYMMETRIC PARACHUTE FOR WIND TUNNEL TESTING.

The parachute applications being considered here typically call for deployments at high speeds (M// infinity less than equivalent to 1. 2) and high dynamic pressures (q// infinity less than equivalent to 2200 psf) with staging times on the order of 1 or 2 s. These boundary conditions have suggested developing an asymmetrical canopy which was based upon a conventional ribbon parachute and which would hopefully retain many of that type of canopy's favorable strength and stability characteristics. The lack of analytical capability in the area of asymmetrical parachutes implied an experimental program. This Note details the construction and wind tunnel testing of one such class of parachutes. The testing itself is unique because it uses parachutes built to a modular design.