Spacecraft Recovery Parachute in a Museum

A capsule coming back from space never relies on a single parachute. A small drogue chute opens first to steady it and take off some speed. Only then do the big main canopies pull out. Designers build in a spare, so the capsule can still land safely if one of them fails. This orange and white canopy hangs open in a bare museum gallery, its lines gathered down to one steel fitting near the floor. As a parachute jigsaw puzzle it is all stripes and long, curving cords.