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Re:SpaceX and Boeing Still Need a Parachute That Always Works by lightedman on Wednesday November 06, 2019 @01:49PM (#21465660)
You simply cannot make a parachute that always works. My pal that works at SkyDive Perris has seen plenty of perfectly-packed parachutes fall prey to an errant gust of wind turning the chute inside-out mid-deployment and making it useless, requiring immediate deployment of the backup.

Now imagine this happening under supersonic conditions. Recovery would be almost impossible.

This is why skydivers wear multiple chutes.

Re:SpaceX and Boeing Still Need a Parachute That Always Works by zlsa on Wednesday November 06, 2019 @01:57PM (#21465759)
The solution common to Boeing and SpaceX is the same: they have three (Boeing) or four (SpaceX) separate parachutes, each with their own drogue chutes, and they both can handle a single deployment failure without endangering the crew.
Re:SpaceX and Boeing Still Need a Parachute That Always Works by ceejayoz on Wednesday November 06, 2019 @02:22PM (#21466051)
> Now imagine this happening under supersonic conditions.

Seems like even a big gust wouldn't make much difference at supersonic speeds in thin atmosphere.