JSC2010-E-173387 (24 Sept. 2010) — The Orion crew exploration vehicle parachute assembly system team performed an airdrop test at the US Army Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona. It was the eighth test in a series of nine planned for the most recent design of the parachute system. The objective of the test was to evaluate the effect of allowing more air to flow through the parachute canopy in a two parachute cluster configuration, which may provide increased parachute stability. The air flow through each of the main parachutes was increased by removing a set of panels in the canopies being tested. The test platform consisted of a pallet and weight tub, which was extracted from a C-130 aircraft (seen at top of this frame) at 20,000 feet and touched down gently at the test range. Photo credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds