HERE'S HOW
Make a simple parachute by taping a piece of string to each corner of a facial tissue. Tape the ends of all four strings to a small object, such as a mini plastic action figure. Then drop the parachute from a high place.
Make and drop another parachute using a large sheet of paper instead of a tissue.
WHY?
Air trapped under a parachute causes the falling object to slow down so that it lands softly. The larger the parachute, the slower the fall, because more trapped air is pushing up from below. Some spacecraft land on Earth with the help of huge parachutes.
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Illustration by Charles Peale
Text by Julie Vosburgh Agnone
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