NASA'S Orion Lands Safely on Two of Three Parachutes in Test

Feb. 12, 2013

Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov


RELEASE: 13-048

NASA'S ORION LANDS SAFELY ON TWO OF THREE PARACHUTES IN TEST

WASHINGTON -- NASA engineers have demonstrated the agency's Orion
spacecraft can land safely if one of its three main parachutes fails
to inflate during deployment.

The test was conducted Tuesday in Yuma, Ariz., with the parachutes
attached to a test article. Engineers rigged the parachutes so only
two would inflate, leaving the third to flag behind, when the test
capsule was dropped from a plane 25,000 feet above the Arizona
desert.

"Today is a great validation of the parachute system," said Chris
Johnson, a NASA project manager for Orion's parachute system. "We
never intend to have a parachute fail, but we've proven that if we
do, the system is robust for our crew to make it to the ground
safely."

Orion's parachutes will perform in ways no landing system for a
spacecraft carrying humans has been required to do before. Because
Orion will return to Earth from greater distances, it will reenter
Earth's atmosphere at speeds of more than 20,000 mph. After re-entry,
astronauts will rely on the parachutes to slow the spacecraft for a
gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

This 21,000-pound capsule needs only two main parachutes and one
drogue parachute. But NASA spacecraft, particularly those carrying
humans, are designed to keep working when something goes wrong. So,
Orion will be equipped with three main parachutes and two drogues,
providing each system one backup parachute.

In December, engineers simulated a failure of one of the drogue
parachutes in a test that ended with a safe landing, proving the
system design is valid.

Tuesday's test was the eighth parachute engineering development drop
test. The next is scheduled for May. The system also will be put to
the test in 2014 when Orion makes its first flight test. During the
mission, an uncrewed capsule will travel 3,600 miles from Earth,
farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has gone in more
than 40 years.

To join the online conversation about Orion, follow @NASA_Orion and
the hashtag #Orion. To learn more about all the ways to connect and
collaborate with NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For information about Orion, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion


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