How to Build a Parachute into a Rocket
- 1
Young man assembling a model rocket.George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images
Unfold the parachute and place it on a flat service, like a table, making sure it is spread out. The average parachute has three shroud lines, or pieces of string, attached to the parachute. The lines are threaded through holes in the plastic with eyelets that prevent the plastic from tearing or ripping. (Estes Rockets is the name most associated with the model rocket industry and all rockets come with premade recovery systems.) - 2). Pull the shroud lines from the flat surface and put them together, forming a loop with the lines over the fingers of one your hands. Pinch the lines together, keeping the loop formed, and take the lines off the fingers. Push the loop through the eyelet of the nose cone until it appears on the other side of the eyelet. Pull the lines all the way through, keeping the loop open. Fold the plastic parachute and push it through the loop all the way. Pull the parachute until the loop closes, forming a tight knot around the plastic eyelet.
- 3). Pull the lines all the way through, keeping the loop open. Fold the plastic parachute and push it through the loop all the way. Pull the parachute until the loop closes, forming a tight knot around the plastic eyelet.
- 4). Fold it in half a few times, until you get a point, as shown in the picture. Now fold the point of the parachute onto the bottom of the canopy. Continue to fold in half until it fits in the rocket. Wrap the shroud cords around the canopy. Fold the plastic parachute from the tip down, four folds, making sure the plastic is firmly tight, but will open at deployment. Fold the plastic inside the string, forming a small package.
- 5). Place the small packing inside the rocket tube, including all excess from the string, and attach the nose cone to the top of the rocket tube. The nosecone will slide into the rocket tube. Installation is now complete
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