Building the Mark IVb

Parachute Deployment Sequence


After apogee. The nose (no polystyrene fairing on this one) has come off and is below and just ahead of the tail. The fattening in the rocket body halfway along is the drogue; the centre of the main chute can be seen protruding from the rocket.

The drogue has filled, turned the rocket round and extracted the main chute (vertical line extending from the drogue towards the rocket). The vent of the drogue is visible but the drogue itself is deformed due to the drop in tension in the lines caused by the main chute's emergence from the body.

As the main chute fills the drogue, now in its 'shadow' collapses.

The main chute fully inflated.

The main chute, from almost directly below, showing the vents and the collapsed drogue lying over the top right edge.

A longer shot showing the well the crude, 'knotted hankie' shape of the canopy as it nears the ground.


Other Stuff

Simulations of the three flights.
Parachute deployment sequence.
Pictures from the competition NPL.



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Page created: 14th September 2002, Last updated: 14th September 2002.