Parachuting
Parachuting is the act of using a device called a parachute to slow the rate of motion of an object through the atmosphere. Parachutes catch the wind as the object falls through the air, creating an air physics phenomenon called "drag". With the help of drag, parachutes can slow an object's terminal velocity and reduce or completely negate any damage the object would otherwise suffer from being dropped at a high altitude.
Parachutes are used for a variety of purposes, and are utilized in warfare, sports, and agriculture. Humans can use a parachute to fall through the air at a reduced speed, thus avoiding any fatal injuries upon hitting the ground.
Like any implement, parachutes are engineered to be used only by experts who are proficient in their use. The user of the parachute must have a good understanding of altitude and wind physics, in order to avoid falling into dangerous land. Complications with parachuting are uncommon, but can nevertheless still pose a serious risk to inexperienced users. If the parachute is deployed too early or too late, the user can fall to their death. If there is a high-speed directional wind, the user of the parachute can be blown through the air towards an unintended drop point. Trees and foliage can snag the parachute and tangle around the neck of the user, successfully suffocating them.
Parachutes have been widely used in modern warfare, and were deployed extensively in World War I and II, after the invention of the modern aircraft. Soldiers who use parachutes for strategic missions to carry out infiltration, reconnaissance, or other military objectives are called "Para-Troopers". Para-Troopers are dropped from the sides of helicopters into or behind a combat situation. American infiltrators used parachutes to sneak behind enemy lines in World War II. Soldiers were deployed via parachute in Normandy, and were able to commence a secret attack, in coordination with mortar strikes and bombings, that crippled the Nazi position in France. Without the parachute, American forces may have not been successful in their mission.
The parachute, in design, dates as far back as the late Renaissance. Believed to be engineered first by the Byzantines, parachutes appeared in the Mediterranean after the migration of orthodox clergy into the Italian state. Leonardo da Vinci perfected the parachute in his drawings, altering a few engineering flaws that existed within the Byzantine-Greek model.
Before the more modern implementation of the harness-parachute design, parachutes were held onto with both hands on a metal bar, almost like a hang-glider. The modern parachute was perfected by the French, and was invented around the same time that the air balloon was invented.
Modern uses for parachutes include the distribution of food and supplies to foreign nations, cluster bombs, and airplane speed-reducers. Most modern parachutes are made of a synthetic poly-nylon, and are tear-resistant for high-altitude drops. Parachutes can be seen in all of NASA's shuttle designs, in order to slow the speed of a falling craft through Earth's atmosphere.
Parachutes are a versatile human invention with a variety of uses, and are clearly one of the most necessary inventions in history.
Like any implement, parachutes are engineered to be used only by experts who are proficient in their use. The user of the parachute must have a good understanding of altitude and wind physics, in order to avoid falling into dangerous land. Complications with parachuting are uncommon, but can nevertheless still pose a serious risk to inexperienced users. If the parachute is deployed too early or too late, the user can fall to their death. If there is a high-speed directional wind, the user of the parachute can be blown through the air towards an unintended drop point. Trees and foliage can snag the parachute and tangle around the neck of the user, successfully suffocating them.
Parachutes have been widely used in modern warfare, and were deployed extensively in World War I and II, after the invention of the modern aircraft. Soldiers who use parachutes for strategic missions to carry out infiltration, reconnaissance, or other military objectives are called "Para-Troopers". Para-Troopers are dropped from the sides of helicopters into or behind a combat situation. American infiltrators used parachutes to sneak behind enemy lines in World War II. Soldiers were deployed via parachute in Normandy, and were able to commence a secret attack, in coordination with mortar strikes and bombings, that crippled the Nazi position in France. Without the parachute, American forces may have not been successful in their mission.
The parachute, in design, dates as far back as the late Renaissance. Believed to be engineered first by the Byzantines, parachutes appeared in the Mediterranean after the migration of orthodox clergy into the Italian state. Leonardo da Vinci perfected the parachute in his drawings, altering a few engineering flaws that existed within the Byzantine-Greek model.
Before the more modern implementation of the harness-parachute design, parachutes were held onto with both hands on a metal bar, almost like a hang-glider. The modern parachute was perfected by the French, and was invented around the same time that the air balloon was invented.
Modern uses for parachutes include the distribution of food and supplies to foreign nations, cluster bombs, and airplane speed-reducers. Most modern parachutes are made of a synthetic poly-nylon, and are tear-resistant for high-altitude drops. Parachutes can be seen in all of NASA's shuttle designs, in order to slow the speed of a falling craft through Earth's atmosphere.
Parachutes are a versatile human invention with a variety of uses, and are clearly one of the most necessary inventions in history.