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The Paraglider That NASA Could Have Used to Bring Astronauts Back to Earth
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
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- JKCalhoun 4y ago“Basing designs on pictures from magazines and working with readily available materials like bamboo and plastic sheeting, early hang glider pilots built “Rogallo Wings” and flew them from low hills in California…” I read a book as a kid that described the established glider enthusiasts that had been flying rigid wing gliders on the beach cliffs and such. How someone showed up one day with something that looked like it was made from bamboo and trash bags - and to their amazement, it flew. For having apparently developed a kind of fundamentally new wing design, the Rogallo team were brilliant - landing a Gemini though always seemed like it would always be simpler (less prone to failure) with a boring old parachute.