Make parachute:

Steps
1. Gather the necessary supplies, as listed below in "Things You'll Need".
2. Choose your plastic material. Anything from a plastic slip-cover to a garbage can bag
can work well. Make sure it's loose and flexible.
3. Draw a large circle on your plastic. Make it as even as possible so you don't end up
with a lop-sided parachute.
o You can use a large bowl or dish to trace your circle.
4. Choose your string. Twine or any moderately heavy string should work. Try to scale it
to about the same length as the diameter of your parachute.
5. Cut out the circular parachute. A sharp pair of scissors can help a lot here, otherwise
you may stretch and/or tear the plastic. Tearing however is not suggested for it can be
very messy.
o Try taking open scissors and draging one blade pressing firmly along the circle.
Often this leads to a perfect or near perfect cut.
6. Poke evenly spaced holes in the along edge of the plastic. A minimum of four holes
should be enough. Be careful not to rip the holes—you will be using them to tie your
string to the plastic.
7. Tie the strings to the parachute. Again, be careful not to tear the holes while knotting,
if you are using soft plastic. Avoid getting the string tangled, as well.
8. Tie the weight to the parachute strings. You'll want something moderately heavy. Any
object that weighs about 5-10 grams will work.
9. Find a high place to drop your parachute. You will want to have some height to enjoy
the parachute, but be reasonable. After all, you'll need to go back and get it.
10. Drop the parachute and watch it Fall! Don't be alarmed if it doesn't open when you
drop it at ground level. Even parachutes need time to get air beneath them.

Tips
 To make your parachute more effective, try taking a ring of half-an-inch cloth and
carefully glue it around the edges of the plastic. This will weigh the ends down and give
the parachute the "dome shape" much faster. Be careful not to make it too heavy, or the
parachute won't catch any air.
 Try knotting the strings before you try the weight on. Although this will require a bit
more string to accomplish, it should also help to avoid getting the strings tangled.

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 Building a Model Rocket Parachute Recovery System
By Dr. Jean Potvin

Parks College Parachute Research Group

This letter was written to a student interested in recovering his rocket with a parachute after the
rocket's powered flight. The question was: "How large should the parachute be?"

We based our answer on the following design philosophy: Since rocket payload needs to be kept
small, the parachute should be designed as small as possible. Also, using a small chute implies a
more vertical and faster descent. In other words, using a large parachute usually leads to more
horizontal drift due to winds aloft... i.e. more chances to lose the rocket in neighbor McNasty's
backyard.

So how small should the parachute be? It depends on how much shock the rocket can take on
landing since the faster the descent, the more risk for damage.

So here is the rest of the letter:

.....we can't answer your question about your deployment problems. We need more details (are you
using solid rocket motors that are commercially available? ...usually these motors ingnite at the top for
chute extraction once the thrust at the bottom has been exhausted).

Parachute design: how big the chute?

It depends on two factors:

1. payload + chute weight allowable

2. descent speed under parachute

Usually, you want the smallest (or lightest) chute to accomodate payload requirements. But, the smaller
the chute the faster the descent. the harder the rocket hits the ground (...although it would not drift
away from the drop zone as much during a windy day...).

To estimate the max descent speed your rocket can take under parachute, you could do this: drop
the rocket (or an old prototype) from height "d" -without the parachute. The velocity reached
when it hits the ground is given by

v = squareroot( 2 g d)

g = 32.17 ft/sec^2 (English units) or 9.81 m/sec^2 (Metric)

d= height in feet (English) or meters (Metric)

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v = velocity in ft/sec (English) or m/sec (Metric)
The maximum drop height from which the rocket can be dropped without breaking determines the max
parachute descent velocity. Once you have determined that max velocity, use the following formula to
find out the chute's optimal surface area:

2 W
S = -----------
rho CD (v^2)

where

CD = parachute drag coefficient which is approx 0.75 for a chute

without holes or slits cut in the fabric; same value in both
Metric and English unit systems
rho at sea level =
0.00237 sl/ft^3 (English units) and 1.225 Kg/m^3 (Metric)
rho near 4000 ft or 1219 m above sea level =
0.00211 sl/ft^3 (English units) and approx. 1.07 Kg/m^3 (Metric)
W = weight of the parachute + load, in pounds (English) or Newtons (Metric)
v^2 = square of the vertical descent velocity,
where v is expressed in ft/sec (English) or m/sec (Metric)
S is the parachute's surface area when measured on a flat surface,
in ft^2 (English) or m^2 (Metric).

What is the diameter of the chute when it lays flat on the floor (assuming that it is a circular
piece of fabric)?

diameter = 2 squareroot of (S / 3.1416)

To improve on the stability of the chute during descent it would be a good idea to cut a hole (covering
about 10 percent of surface area) at the apex of the canopy. That way the rocket won't oscillate too
much and the descent will follow a straight line.

There are other designs to improve stability besides cutting a vent at the apex, see article by Dr.
C. W. Peterson in Physics Today, August 1993 The magazine Physics Today can be found at
university and college libraries.

Making a model rocket parachute

Constructing a model rocket parachute is very simple: just cut a piece of fabric in the shape of a circle.
The fabric type (for experimental/toy parachutes only of course!) can be 1. cut from a plastic garbage
bag (which is OK but won't last very long and will puncture easily, or even better, 2. the nylon fabric
used on tents. (Real parachutes use a reinforced version of that nylon).

For detailed info about parachute design and rigging:

 D. Poynter, The Parachute Manual-Vols 1&2, Para Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA

 T.W. Knacke, Parachute Recovery Systems Design Manual, Para Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA

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Also, see the following web page:

 Aerodynamic Decelerator Technology

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Make a parachute that will carry a paper clip load.
Materials you will need:

Cellophane or tissue paper

String
Masking tape
Paper clips
Scissors
Ruler
Hole punch

Steps:
1. Cut a cellophane or tissue paper square (36cm)
2. Put a piece of tape on each corner
3. Punch a hole through tape at each corner
4. Cut four pieces of string 41cm long
5. Tie a piece of string to each corner
6. Tie loose ends of string together
7. Attach paper clip (add more to increase the load)