X-38 CREW RETURN VEHICLE GLIDES WITH PARAFOILS DURING TEST FLIGHT, 1999-03-06 (photo)

The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle glides under parafoils March 5 during a successful flight test at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-38, which was dropped from a NASA B-52 at approximately 30,000 feet and flew freely for about 12 seconds before parafoils were deployed to guide it to its landing point, is an innovative new spacecraft design planned for use as a future International Space Station emergency crew return "lifeboat." The design also has the potential to be easily modified for other uses, such as a possible joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the Ariane 5 booster. ELD