Looks like a scoreboard of flights too
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/8712062-post30537.html
Ok,. comments popped in immediately about the this being a test pod for the Rogallo wing, an inflateable delta wing thing that was supposed to help direct the pod towards a splash down, instead of using the parachutes.
Seems stupid to go with wings, or steering, and not use parachutes to slow down a tin can with astronauts in it, which happens to be at terminal velocity heading toward a collision with earth. I'm no rocket scientist, but JC on crutches, that's simply idiotic and if a car guy like me can figure that out?
"the Gemini capsule mockup used to test an inflatable steerable delta wing as an alternative to the parachutes used in the Mercury program (and ultimately Gemini and Apollo). Parachutes ultimately proved lighter and more reliable, so the were never used by the space program"
Anyway, no one seems to be tossing down atta boys for finding a damn pod with wheels.. .. where's your sense of awe guys?
And no one has explained the scoreboard
Rogallo Wing Gemini test article.
ReplyDeletehttps://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/wing-rogallo-paraglider-gemini
That's the Gemini capsule mockup used to test an inflatable steerable delta wing as an alternative to the parachutes used in the Mercury program (and ultimately Gemini and Apollo). Parachutes ultimately proved lighter and more reliable, so the were never used by the space program. But, versions of these "Rogallo wings" (after the NASA engineer who invented them) were adopted by hobbyists as the first modern hang gliders and ultralight aircraft.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of any hang glider earlier than Peter Brock... I'll now look to see if I can find info on what he used to get started other than Bowlus Glider and other glider makers from the 1920s
DeleteThe US Air Force was developing applications for the Gemini spacecraft at the time. The "Manned Orbital Laboratory" was one of them. They had requirements to bring the astronauts *and payloads* back to secure land-based locations with precision. It wasn't that crazy of an idea, and it spawned many more designs of steerable parachute systems.
ReplyDeleteEven before that time, the US military was snagging payloads mid-air that were re-entered from Space (film canisters, mostly).