Russia searches for missing "space parachute"
Posted on: Saturday, 8 October 2005, 14:20 CDT
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Scientists have lost an experimental "space parachute" after it came back to earth in the remote wilderness of Russia's Pacific seaboard, news agencies said on Saturday.
An inflatable, heat-proof cone that deploys on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, scientists hope the device could offer a better way of bringing cargo and experiments back from the International Space Station.
It was launched on board a missile from a Russian navy nuclear submarine on Friday, but trackers lost radio contact as it floated back to earth.
A search in Russia's Kamchatka region involving two planes, two helicopters and 150 people on the ground failed to find the device and was suspended until Sunday, Itar-Tass news agency quoted the defense ministry as saying.
Scientists need to recover the device, known as IRDT Demonstrator 2-R, to assess whether it deployed successfully and withstood the re-entry, media reports said.
The inflatable parachute is being developed for the European Space Agency by aerospace and defense firm EADS and a Russian contractor.
Made out of special heat-resistant fabric, it would do away with the heavy heat shield and separate parachute system that have to be fitted onto spacecraft and cargo returning to earth.
Two previous test launches of the system, also in Russia, have ended in failure.
Source: REUTERS
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