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Air Recovery Parachute

Mission: Discoverer XIV  
Launch: August 18, 1960  
Landing: August 19, 1960  
Duration: 1 day, 3 hours  
Comment: First satellite to be recovered in midair

These two fabric swatches were cut from Discoverer XIV's parachute for presentation to recovery team member R.C. Kent. After 17 orbits of the Earth snapping reconnaissance photos for the Central Intelligence Agency, Discoverer XIV reentered the atmosphere and deployed its parachute. On its third pass, a U.S. Air Force C-119 snagged the canopy using a hook that was trailing the aircraft. Discoverer XIV's capsule and most of its parachute are exhibited at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

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