NASA Paresev

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The Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) was an experimental NASA glider aircraft based upon the kite-parachute studies by NASA engineer Francis Rogallo.

The tests performed between 1961 and 1965 were designed to study the ability of the Rogallo wing, also called Parawing, to descend a payload such as the Gemini space capsule safely from high altitude to ground. Specifically, the Paresev was a test vehicle used to learn how to control this parachute-wing for a safe landing at a normal airfield.

Publicity on the Paresev and the Ryan XV-8 "Fleep" aircraft inspired hobbyists to adapt Rogallo's flexible wing airfoil onto elementary hang gliders, soon producing the most successful hang glider configuration in history.

Development

NASA experimented with the flexible Rogallo wing, which they renamed the Parawing, in order to evaluate it as a recovery system for the Gemini space capsules and recovery of used Saturn rocket stage.In 1965 Jack Swigert, who would later be one of the Apollo 13 astronauts, softly landed a full-scale Gemini capsule using a Rogallo wing stiffened with inflatable tubes along the wing’s edges. Under a directive by Paul Bikle, NASA engineer Charles Richards in 1961–1962 designed the collapsible...
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