14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Boeing Company announce the successful conclusion of a second parachute drop test for the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 capsule they are developing under a NASA Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program.
The test – the second in a series of three – occurred in Alamo, Nevada, above the Delmar Dry Lake Bed. A model of the CST-100 spacecraft was dropped by a Erickson Sky Crane helicopter from an altitude of about 3,050 meters (10,000 feet).
One of the primary goals of the new assessment effort was to demonstrate that the vehicle's parachute system could be repacked and redeployed successfully for a second time. In addition, the new landing was carried out using 6 airbags deployed under the spacecraft.
“A drogue parachute deployed, followed by three main parachutes, bringing the capsule to a smooth ground landing, cushioned by six inflated air bags,” an announcement released by NASA shows.