Parasev: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[NASA Paresev]] |
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[[Image:Paresev in landing.jpg|200px|thumb|right|'''Parasev 1''' in landing, 1962.]][[image:rogallo.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|200px|'''Parasev 1-B''' under aerotow.[http://www.aviation-news.co.uk/Parasev.html]]] |
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'''Parasev''', (a.k.a: Para Wing Research Vehicle) was an experimental [[NASA]] glider aircraft that was designed to study the ability of the [[Rogallo wing]] to fly a payload such as the [[Project Gemini|Gemini]] space capsule safely from high altitude to ground. |
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==Background== |
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It was on October 4, 1957 when the Russian satellite [[Sputnik]] shocked the United States and the space race caught the imagination of its government, causing major increases in U.S. government spending on scientific research, education and on the immediate creation of [[NASA]]. NASA began a series of experiments testing the flexible [[Rogallo wing]] -which got renamed '''Para Wing'''- in order to evaluate it as a recovery system for the [[Project Gemini|Gemini]] [[space capsule]]s and recovery of used Saturn [[Staged combustion cycle (rocket)|rocket stage]]s.<ref>SPACEFLIGHT REVOLUTION [http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4308/ch11.htm#382]</ref><ref>On [[1965]] [[Jack Swigert]], who would later be one of the [[Apollo 13]] astronauts, softly landed a full-scale Gemini capsule using a Rogallo wing stiffened with inflatable tubes along the wing’s edges</ref> |
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==Design & construction== |
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The Parasev was unpowered, the 'fuselage' an open framework fabricated of welded 4130 steel tubing referred to as a 'space frame.' The keel and leading edges of the [[wing]] were constructed of 2 1/2-inch diameter aluminium tubing. The leading edge sweep angle was held constant at 50 degrees by a rigid spreader bar. Additional wing structure fabricated of steel tubing ensured structural integrity. On August 24th. [[1962]], seven weeks after the project was initiated, the team rolled out the Parasev 1.<ref>Construction & dated images: [http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Paresev/]</ref> |
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==Test pilots== |
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* [[Milton Orville Thompson]]. |
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* Apgar Champine.<ref>Apgar Champine, biography:[http://hometown.aol.com/GRC6431/myhomepage/]</ref> |
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==Research outcome== |
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The Parasev and other flexible wing projects such as the [[Fleep]]<ref>NASA's Fleep was a heavily framed cargo aircraft tested as a "flying Jeep" for transporting supplies over enemy lines, this two-person aircraft used a small engine for power and a [[Rogallo wing]] for lift[http://dayton.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-001271.jpg]</ref> were discarded by NASA on 1965 in favor of using conventional round [[parachute]]s, but the wing's simplicity of design and ease of construction, along with its capability of slow flight and its gentle landing characteristics, did not go unnoticed by [[hang glider]] and [[Ultralight aviation|ultralight]] glider enthusiasts. Publicity from the Parasev test sparked interest in the design among several tinkerers, including the Australian, '''John Dickenson'''<ref>Smithsonian National Air & space Museum [http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/delta_wing_162.htm]</ref> who is rightfully credited with inventing the flexible wing hang glider by producing a foldable and light frame to fit a [[Rogallo wing]] and be used as a foot-launched [[hang glider]].<ref> |
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==Images=[[History of flexible wing hang gliding]]. |
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Parasev photo collection by NASA: [http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Paresev/] |
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== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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Suggested categories: NASA experimental glider |
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[[Category:Glider aircraft]] |
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[[Category:Aeronautics]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:27, 22 July 2008
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