Tag Archives: Rogallo

The Gemini Paraglider on SciAm’s Space Lab

Posted on May 11, 2013 by asteitel

Most regular readers of Vintage Space will know that I’m obsessed with the Gemini Paraglider, the landing system that should have made splashdowns obsolete starting in the early 1960s but (to make a long story short) just couldn’t keep pace … Continue reading →

Posted in Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Apollo’s Rotor Reentry Revisited

Posted on November 9, 2012 by asteitel

Regular readers of Vintage Space undoubtedly know that I love landing systems, particularly the creative ideas that were too complicated to gain traction in the 1960s. Among unrealized systems, my favourite has to be the Rogallo wing, the inflatable glider … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another Use for Rogallo: Saturn Recovery

Posted on October 22, 2012 by asteitel

Regular readers are doubtless aware that I love the Rogallo paraglider wing. NASA had had no shortage of uses for this triangular, two-lobed sail design in the 1960s. It was the system that should have landed the Gemini spacecraft on … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rogallo After Gemini

Posted on June 5, 2011 by asteitel

In a previous post, I looked at the Rogallo paraglider wing landing system and its failed development as part of NASA’s Gemini program. I also mentioned that the landing system didn’t disappear right away. After its cancellation from Gemini, NASA … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Space Shuttle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments