Biggest parachute in the universe

[Pioneer Aerospace] South Windsor, Conn., U.S.A.

Specialty Fabrics Review | July 2011

The parachute for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, to be launched in 2011 and land on Mars in 2012, is the largest ever built to fly on an extraterrestrial mission. Built by Pioneer Aerospace, the parachute has 80 suspension lines, measures more than 165 feet in length, and opens to a diameter of nearly 51 feet. Most of the orange and white fabric is nylon, though a small disk of heavier polyester is used near the vent in the apex of the canopy due to higher stresses there.

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