Gizmodo: parachute

Skydiver Films 10,000 Foot Freefall into Steel Shed

Rosa Golijan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:20:00 EDT

Somehow the thrill of skydiving is lost after you've jumped out of a plane, had both parachutes fail, passed out before hitting the roof of a steel shed, and walked away. With video of the fall. [YouTube]

First Person View of an Epic Parachute Fail

Sean Fallon — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:20:00 EDT

Before you decide to hurl yourself out of an airplane to get an adrenaline fix, take a long hard look at what happened to Hans Lange on a recent base jump in Norway. As you will see, he managed to capture the entire jump in detail using some sort of wide-angle helmet cam. I will admit that flying around in that wing suit looks exhilarating, but smashing into the ground, breaking a leg then being dragged down the side of a mountain? Not so much. [ITN and BBC]

NASA Tests Orion Parachute (Result: Spectacular Failure)

John Mahoney — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:10:00 EDT

Filed under the "good thing we tried it out first" department is this recent test of Shuttle-replacement Orion's parachute re-entry system. Based on the same system used for Apollo, the group of eight parachutes deploys after re-entry, ensuring the Orion capsule glides down back to terra firma for a pillow-soft landing. That's what's supposed to happen, anyway.

Here, the initial chutes that position the craft for the main chutes' test (so, not a part of the final system) failed shortly after being dropped from a C-17 cargo plane at 25,000 feet. As you can see, it all goes downhill from there, terminating in "a landing that severely damaged the test mock-up." Well said, NASA—I'm guessing any test dummies inside for pressure measurements had to be scraped off the desert floor with a knife. [NASA - Thanks Travis!]

Cat Jumps Off a Plane, Lands on Its Legs

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:15:05 EDT

We gonna die. We gonna die. We gonna die. We gonna die. DIE. I can has wings? Moar vodka? I hates Crazy Russians and crazy parachutes! (Editor's note: really, what's the deal with this? No kitty cam? The cat should have a cam to see his point of view, especially for when he rips his owner's face to pieces after touching down.) [English Russia]

ParaNav GPS Unit For Parachutists Helps Marines Avoid Errors...Like This One

Sean Fallon — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:30:23 EST

Rockwell Collins has been selected by the US Marines to deliver 3,000 of its ParaNav GPS units for parachutists. Soldiers plummeting towards Earth will soon have the advantage of GPS navigation with a HUD that will help improve landing accuracy and allow for target zones to be easily changed on the fly.

The system itself consists of a GPS unit that connects to the soldiers helmet and a full-color display attaches directly to goggles or helmet shields. It also "contains an 802.11 Wi-Fi interface for Joint Precision Airdrop System data connectivity and custom circuitry that allows for dead reckoning calculations in the event of a GPS lock failure." Plus, it looks like the dude is rockin' a sweet mohawk. [GPS Daily]

Nike SPARQ Parachute Makes You Run Faster, Eventually

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:50:35 EST

The Nike SPARQ Parachute is designed to create drag "to force athletes to push themselves harder to achieve speed" and look like a moron in Central Park. Why would I want more drag as I'm already dragging my feet to the coffee shop to have a cafe au lait, two croissants and one brioche with chocolate nuggets is beyond me. Just $50 and a box of steroids separate you from becoming the next Ben Johnson. And a jump from knowing all the tech specs of this thing:

Maximum drag = 25 lbs of force
Belt accommodates waist sizes 32"- 56"

Durable enough for team training

Floating metal tri-ring reducing belt offers improved chute tracking

Improved heavy duty webbing lead and 2X coated heavy-duty veil fabric provides excellent durability

Comes with carry bag

I bet Brian will be able to use one of these to air-break after snowboarding. [Nike via Machogear]

Fishing Parachute: Tire 'Em Out, Reel 'Em In

Charlie White — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:51:54 EDT

A fishing parachute? Yes, but not the kind of parachute you might be thinking of—this one works under water. It doesn't actually exist yet, but it's a patent for a device that tires out fish. When a fish is hooked and starts pulling on the fishing line, the chute opens, creating lots of drag as the fish tries to escape.

Unless you're talking about extremely large fish, it already doesn't seem like a fair fight between man and fish with just an ordinary fishing pole. This doesn't seem quite fair, similar to using a submachine gun for hunting.

Fishing Parachute [OhGizmo]

Gryphon Single-Man Flying Wing

Charlie White — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 09:35:51 EDT

At first we thought this was a joke—didn't Batman have a pair of wings like this? But no, this Gryphon Single-Man Flying Wing is a parachute system whose 4.9-foot Delta wing has two jet engines on board that can carry a paratrooper 110 miles on a half gallon of jet fuel. The device will be tested in an third quarter of next year, but we'd hate to be the first guy to try it. He'll have to be pretty hefty, too, because the thing weighs 66 pounds.

The mission starts when the brave soul wearing this birdman outfit takes a flying leap out of an airplane at 33,000 feet—hopefully equipped with warm clothes and oxygen—and flies the jet wing wherever he's going until he gets to an altitude of about a mile. At that point, somehow our intrepid hero sheds his wing and opens a parachute, letting that wing dangle below him as he floats to the ground. Better you than me, buddy. Tailwinds. – Charlie White

James Bond-style strap-on jet pack flying wing to extend special forces' reach [Flight]