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Scott Bryce's Spherical Parachute Patterns
This web page will produce patterns for hemisphere parachutes for model rockets.
Instructions for constructing the parachutes can be found in the
May/June 2000 newsletter of the Northern
Illinois Rocketry Association.
The article describes the construction of 12 inch diameter parachute with 8 gores
and a 2 inch diameter spill hole. This web page will produce patterns for other sizes of parachutes. Patterns are
limited to a size that will fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper.
As you are considering the size of your parachute, keep in mind that a spherical
parachute has twice the drag coefficient of a comparable sized parasheet style parachute that comes with most model
rocket kits.
Parachute shroud lines should be 1 1/2 times the diameter of the
parachute.
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