I found this article on the parachutes that were used on the Apollo Moon missions. Really interesting.
"Only three people in the nation were qualified to hand-pack the parachutes for the Apollo missions. Their expertise was so vital that they were not allowed to ride in the same car together due to the fear that a single auto accident could cripple the entire space program.
The Apollo space capsules heavily relied on parachutes to decelerate their descent back to Earth after lunar missions. The three main parachutes used were enormous, each measuring 83.5 feet across. Each of these parachutes contained an impressive 7,200 square feet of fabric, enough to cover the entire floor space of three typical U.S. homes.
These parachutes were constructed from remarkably strong fabric capable of slowing the capsule's descent from 160 miles per hour and gently landing it in the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, even though they were robust, a square yard of parachute material weighed just one ounce.
The assembly of each parachute was an intricate process, with panels of material being sewn together using approximately 3.5 miles of thread. A staggering two million individual stitches were required for each parachute, and all the seams were meticulously sewn by hand using black Singer sewing machines. The attention to detail was critical because even a single flawed stitch could lead to disaster. Therefore, every inch of every seam was carefully inspected using a light table.
After assembly and inspection, the parachutes were folded and packed by hand. During the Apollo missions in the 1960s and early 1970s, only three individuals in the entire country were trained and licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to fold Apollo parachutes. These skilled experts, Norma Cretal, Buzz Corey, and Jimmy Calunga, handled the parachute-packing duties for all 11 Apollo missions.
Their roles were considered so vital that NASA enforced a strict rule that prevented them from traveling together in the same car. The agency couldn't take any chances of all three being injured in a single accident due to the irreplaceable nature of their expertise".
www.history.com
"Only three people in the nation were qualified to hand-pack the parachutes for the Apollo missions. Their expertise was so vital that they were not allowed to ride in the same car together due to the fear that a single auto accident could cripple the entire space program.
The Apollo space capsules heavily relied on parachutes to decelerate their descent back to Earth after lunar missions. The three main parachutes used were enormous, each measuring 83.5 feet across. Each of these parachutes contained an impressive 7,200 square feet of fabric, enough to cover the entire floor space of three typical U.S. homes.
These parachutes were constructed from remarkably strong fabric capable of slowing the capsule's descent from 160 miles per hour and gently landing it in the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, even though they were robust, a square yard of parachute material weighed just one ounce.
The assembly of each parachute was an intricate process, with panels of material being sewn together using approximately 3.5 miles of thread. A staggering two million individual stitches were required for each parachute, and all the seams were meticulously sewn by hand using black Singer sewing machines. The attention to detail was critical because even a single flawed stitch could lead to disaster. Therefore, every inch of every seam was carefully inspected using a light table.
After assembly and inspection, the parachutes were folded and packed by hand. During the Apollo missions in the 1960s and early 1970s, only three individuals in the entire country were trained and licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to fold Apollo parachutes. These skilled experts, Norma Cretal, Buzz Corey, and Jimmy Calunga, handled the parachute-packing duties for all 11 Apollo missions.
Their roles were considered so vital that NASA enforced a strict rule that prevented them from traveling together in the same car. The agency couldn't take any chances of all three being injured in a single accident due to the irreplaceable nature of their expertise".
The Amazing Handmade Tech That Powered Apollo 11’s Moon Voyage | HISTORY
Yes, there was rocket science. But there were also extraordinary amounts of low-tech weaving, stitching and caulking.
www.history.com
