What is a parachute?
Q: What is a parachute?
A: A parachute is a device that uses drag to slow down something moving in the air, such as a person or object.
Q: Where does the word "parachute" come from?
A: The word "parachute" comes from the French words "parer" meaning to protect and "chute" meaning fall carefully down making sure you are safe.
Q: How are drogue parachutes used?
A: Drogue parachutes are used to aid horizontal deceleration of a vehicle, such as a fixed-wing aircraft or a drag racer, or to provide stability during a tandem free-fall or after the landing of a space shuttle.
Q: What is the sport of skydiving?
A: Skydiving is a sport that utilizes a parachute for a controlled descent to the ground after jumping from an airplane.
Q: Who are paratroopers?
A: Paratroopers are soldiers who attack by jumping from an airplane using parachutes.
Q: Who invented the parachute?
A: The inventor Leonardo Da Vinci sketched a parachute in his Codex Atlanticus (folio 381v) in about 1485.
Q: What happened with Leonardo's parachute design in modern times?
A: The feasibility of Leonardo's pyramidal design was successfully tested by skydivers in 2000 and 2008, marking the origin of the parachute as we know it according to technology historian Lynn White.
