Parachute Definition and History
Learn the definition of a parachute and discover the history behind the first successful jump by André-Jacques Garnerin in 1797.
The great fall: gravity versus air
Terminal velocity: the speed limit of falling
Catching the wind: the art of the parachute
Slicing the sky: cheating drag on the ground
artiteacher Drop objects through different atmospheres to discover how air resistance and gravity interact.
artiteacher A giant nylon parachute slowed the Perseverance rover during its Martian descent.
artiteacher Parachute Drag
We push the air to slow the fall (push it back!) / Drag balances gravity for us all (safe track!)
Da Vinci's parachute: Leonardo da Vinci's 1485 pyramid parachute design was actually built and successfully jumped by a daredevil in the year 2000.
artiteacher André-Jacques Garnerin made the first high-altitude parachute jump in 1797.
A folding cloth canopy used to slow down the descent of a falling person or object. In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first successful jump over Paris using a silk canopy.
Why are modern military and sport parachutes often rectangular instead of round?
What material did André-Jacques Garnerin use for his historic 1797 parachute canopy?
Why did NASA's Perseverance rover need a massive parachute to land on Mars in 2021?
At what approximate speed did the Perseverance rover's parachute deploy in the Martian atmosphere?