SpaceX Dragon parachute test

[Dr Mordrid]

Shot from the deck of a whale spotting ship off the California coast. They lifted a Dragon spacecraft to 14,000 feet with a SkyCrane then dropped it to test the mains and its ability to handle the landing impact. These tests necessary because of changes to the pack before next months COTS-1 flight. On the bottom pic you can see where panels have blown off in flight for the drogue & its lines (lower right and diagonal slot) and the mains & their (lower left and vertical slot) lines to deploy.

Did a bit of work on the snapshot cam images for clarity....

[Dr Mordrid]

[Dr Mordrid]

Full bloom + enhanced...

F9 launch: check
F9 2nd stage sep: check
F9 2nd stage & Dragon test article -> orbit: check
Orbital maneuvering, re-entry etc.: TBD in the COTS-1 flight
Chute deployment -> water: check

[Dr Mordrid]

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7xbFpy5jbY

SpaceX updates page

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

>
An Erickson S-64F Air-Crane helicopter dropped a test article of the Dragon spacecraft from a distance of 14,000 feet, directly above the center of a 6 mile diameter Pacific Ocean test zone.
>
In a carefully timed sequence of events, dual redundant drogue parachutes deployed first to stabilize and slow the spacecraft. Full deployment of the drogues then triggered the release of the main parachutes, with the drogues detaching from the spacecraft, allowing the main parachutes to deploy.
>
The three main parachutes, designed and manufactured by Airborne Systems, are particularly large--each measuring 116 feet in diameter when fully deployed. The oversized parachutes are key in ensuring a comfortable landing for crew members. After the drogues stabilize the spacecraft, the main parachutes further slow the spacecraft's decent to approximately 16-18 ft/sec, which makes for a very soft landing.

Even if Dragon were to lose one of its main parachutes, the two remaining chutes would still ensure a pretty soft landing for the crew. Under nominal conditions, astronauts would experience no more than roughly 2-3 g’s during this type of decent—less than you’d experience at an amusement park.
>