This array of parachutes, designed for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, is seen here during a test above Eloy, Ariz., in 2015. Several parachute designs for Orion have also been tested in NASA wind tunnels.
Francesco Panerai holds a sample of parachute material at NASA Ames Research Center. The screen display shows a parachute prototype (left) and a magnified patch of the material at right.