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NASA's Orion Mock-Up Fails Parachute Test

Posted by timothy on from the perhaps-skydiving-is-not-for-you dept.

leetrout writes "Fox News has the story on a parachute test failing on a mock up of the new Orion spacecraft. 'This is the most complicated parachute test NASA has run since the '60s,' said Carol Evans, test manager for the parachute system at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. 'We are taking a close look at what caused the set-up chutes to malfunction. A failure of set-up parachutes is actually one of the most common occurrences in this sort of test.' Space.com has the video."

15 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Common occurances... by Cyrena · · Score: 4, Funny

    A more common occurance than success?

    1. Re:Common occurances... by idontgno · · Score: 2, Funny

      Eh, what can you expect from an aircraft called "Nimrod?"

      Good story, though, about partially updating old old tech. (Anyone who's had to maintain large bodies of legacy software is probably already familiar with the effect, though.)

      Oooh, ooh, this discussion suddenly became even more on-topic. The US counterpart to the BAE MRA4 Nimrod is the Lockheed P-3C Orion. Eerie, isn't it?

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  2. Remember this, NASA by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The fall isn't the problem. It's that sudden stop at the end that you should avoid.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Well There's Your Problem Right There by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ever since the Coyote filed that lawsuit, Acme Corp's QC has gone down the shitter.

  4. What went wrong: by eepok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, Lou, first that thing fell off. And then that thing fell off. And then that thing fell off. And before all those things fell off, they didn't slow the damn thing down enough to keep the brains of the passengers from splattering through their Dr. Scholl's on that otherwise gentle landing.

    That, Lou, is what went wrong.

  5. Surprising news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, a parachute failure in a parachute test is "one the most common occurrences in this sort of test"? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!

  6. Of course it didn't work! by BitterOldGUy · · Score: 2, Funny

    It was a mockup!

  7. Re:Complicated? by avgjoe62 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is any parachute test really that complicated? I RTFA (really) and it doesn't sound so bad. Can someone explain why this is the most complicated one in 40 years?

    Yea! I mean come on folks, this is a PARACHUTE test. It's not like it's rocket sci... Oh. Wait. Never mind...

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  8. Confucius say by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

    Confucius say "Parachute like girls legs. Best when open."

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    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  9. How do I add a "thud" tag to this? by kclittle · · Score: 3, Funny

    Or, maybe, a "screamingallthewaydown" tag?

    --
    Generally, bash is superior to python in those environments where python is not installed.
  10. Re:Wow by skuzzlebutt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Good summary, I was wondering why so many chutes deployed and failed. I was waiting for spare tires and pinatas to start streaming out...

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  11. This is Your Captain Speaking: by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Funny

    We might experience some turbulence, then explode.

  12. Re:Why the parachute? by dotancohen · · Score: 2, Funny

    I had a 16 yr old pack my main once and the damn pilot chute monkey fisted on me at pull time. Took a couple seconds to free it and then had one hell of a teeth shattering opening.

    Wow, you make skydiving sound so exciting. I just love sports where I wonder for "a couple of seconds" whether I'm going home in a bus or a bag. ever try open warfare?

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  13. Re:Wow by dotancohen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good summary, I was wondering why so many chutes deployed and failed.

    If you like that kind of stuff, you might want to try reading TFA every now and then. Just a thought.

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  14. Did they cut the video short? by CaptDeuce · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was waiting for an anvil to fall on what was left of the spacecraft followed by a roadrunner zooming past in the foreground.

    --
    "Where's my other sock?" - A. Einstein