Parafoil mid-air retrieval for space sample return missions

Mars Gravity Biosatellite: Engineering, science, and education

“…The nominal sequence and timeline are given in Table 3. The event times and altitudes are similar to the nominal trajectory and mid-air retrieval (MAR) data operations for Genesis [18], [19]. The HH-3 helicopters used for MAR have top speeds near 240 km/s with no vehicle in tow [18].…”

“…Maintaining consistency with the Genesis design, the parafoil has an aspect ratio of 2.8, 2:1 glide ratio, peak inflation load below 7 g's, a maximum inflation time of 20 seconds, and an average turn rate over 360° of less than 40 seconds [18]. Full sizing for the MGB MAR system was completed using a parachute system for a soft ground landing, and then the main parafoil dimensions were scaled from extensive Genesis test data [18]. The sizing correlation is shown in Figure 5, and the sizing summary is given in Table 6.…”

“…The MAR parachute system consists of a mortar-deployed Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) drogue chute and a flat bottom, low-speed airfoil for the main chute, or parafoil, deployed by the drogue chute. Maintaining consistency with the Genesis design, the parafoil has an aspect ratio of 2.8, 2:1 glide ratio, peak inflation load below 7 g's, a maximum inflation time of 20 seconds, and an average turn rate over 360° of less than 40 seconds [18]. Full sizing for the MGB MAR system was completed using a parachute system for a soft ground landing, and then the main parafoil dimensions were scaled from extensive Genesis test data [18].…”