Recovery System

Today we did a lab where we had to create parachutes out of garbage bags, tape, string, and balloons filled with sand. The point was to figure out how to create a parachute that would hold up a sand balloon when held over a blow drier. First we just cut a square out of the garbage bag. Then we attached a string to each of the sides and corners, then to a balloon. We tried to make it stay up with the blow drier, but it fell really quickly. We attached a lighter balloon and tried again. It worked pretty well, but we decided it could be better. We cut a small hole in the top, to change the drag, and it worked really well. Then we dropped it from the top of the stairs, just to see what would happen. It just floated down. I wonder what would happen if you had a parachute on the moon.