Parachute

By creating drag, a parachute is a soft fabric device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere. Parachutes are usually used to slow the descent of a person or object to Earth or another celestial body within an atmosphere. Occasionally Drogue parachutes are also used to aid horizontal deceleration of a vehicle. From the French words para, protect or shield, and chute, the fall, parachute the word came. "Fall protection" is the real meaning of parachute. Recent parachutes are classified as semi-rigid wings, are quite maneuverable, and can facilitate a controlled descent similar to that of a glider.

Now parachutes are constructed from more durable woven nylon fabric, sometimes coated with silicone to improve performance and consistency over time, but it once made from silk. Manufacturers of parachutes switched to low-stretch materials like Dacron or zero-stretch materials like Spectra, Kevlar, Vectran and high-modulus aramids When the square parachutes were introduced.