Gemini Paraglider Wing at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
Length: 13m (43ft). Width: 10m (33ft)
“The inflatable delta wing was part of a test program in the early 1960s to develop a controllable system for landing two-astronaut Gemini capsules on land, rather than parachuting into the ocean. It was used by North American Aviation, the prime contractor to NASA for the paraglider, in conjunction with two test vehicles, to conduct experiments in gliding and landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Due to technical difficulties and a tight schedule for the Gemini program, the concept never became operational.
“Francis Rogallo, an engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, invented the “Rogallo wing” in the 1950s, the concept on which this paraglider wing was based. Later it was mainly used for hang gliders.”
[From the text accompanying the exhibit]
Gemini Paraglider Wing at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
Length: 13m (43ft). Width: 10m (33ft)
“The inflatable delta wing was part of a test program in the early 1960s to develop a controllable system for landing two-astronaut Gemini capsules on land, rather than parachuting into the ocean. It was used by North American Aviation, the prime contractor to NASA for the paraglider, in conjunction with two test vehicles, to conduct experiments in gliding and landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Due to technical difficulties and a tight schedule for the Gemini program, the concept never became operational.
“Francis Rogallo, an engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, invented the “Rogallo wing” in the 1950s, the concept on which this paraglider wing was based. Later it was mainly used for hang gliders.”
[From the text accompanying the exhibit]