PARESEV hang glider pilots

Paresev hang glider pilots: 8

Invited is a robust Oz-Report-realm study and discussion
of the eight Paresev pilots, a special group of test pilots
who dared to fly hanging beneath framed rag with weight-shift control over concrete, waters, buildings, people, sand, and grass.
As many of us do today, they used some various means of tow launch and then released for practicing their hang gliding.
Some of their flight glides were from releases at 10,000' ASL. Others were lower. None were killed in the program.
A fitting topic thread deeply exploring and honoring these eight test pilots is something
that seems fitting for the Hang Gliding sector of The Oz Report. Be a part of this legacy display; find something and
post it in a manner that gives honor to the way these guys served aviation. Many of them are into the Next Thermal;
tell their story and note their legacy. Who is still living? There is opportunity for hundreds of Oz Report posters
to brighten our sector's respect of these pilots.

Each one has a rich story.
Maybe pick one and input something about him. Bring forward interesting parts of their
experiences before, during, and after their hang gliding flights.
The information is not all on the Internet; we hope someone or several
will go physically to some of the archives and extract information, images, dates, logs, memos, etc.

Paresev :: "Paraglider research vehicle" came in light and heavier versions with many variations in the wing.
The wing in glider format was often called a "paraglider" and one would note the difference of emphasis in contemporary popular use
of that term; these guys used the foldable four-boom airframed flex-wing hang glider wing, not the unstiffened canopy gliding wing.
Each variant from first to last is invited to be subject matter for this hang gliding history excursion. The Paresev came
midway in hang gliding history, respecting the late 1800s test pilots and sportsmen and sportswomen, on up to today.

[A minor use is found for this acronym forming: Paresev (Paraglider Rescue Vehicle) ]

The hang glider pilots open for our attention:
As yet, we do not know of Hetzel, but the other seven have gone into the Next Thermal.

== Milton Orville Thompson, NASA FRC
== Robert Apgar Champine, NASA LRC
== Neil Armstrong, NASA FRC
== Bruce A. Peterson, NASA FRC
== Charles Hetzel, North American Aviation
== Maj. Emil “Jack” Kluever, U.S. Army
== Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, NASA MSC
== Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, NASA MSC

====Sometimes one will see the misspelling of "Para…" while the program set of hang gliders was "Paresev" with emphasis on "research". The variants included some low-mass undercarriages and some larger-massed payloads as one of the aims was to carry larger payloads. A different program parallel to these hang gliders was done by Ryan Aeronautical. And John Worth did some hang glider work for NASA; those two arenas are separate topics. The parasol wing --often termed "parawing" (with some confusion by later use of the term) with hung-mass (universal joint, tension-hold of payload) within the Paresev program with focus on the pilots along with the variant details are the hoped foci of this thread. Recall that FAI is just one private org with their own specific limited objectives; their very limited definitions do not limit the larger aviation technology. Hang gliders come in a great rich variety. Some ducklings born with one sort of hang glider might be fixated with that one sort as the mother; however, aviation technology has a category that sees hang glider more broadly than just one duck's luck. Hopefully Oz Report posters will form the single best collection of data, drawings, images, facts, stories, etc. over the fullness of the Paresev pilots and crafts … than any other collection. It is a good time to get the story robust and available for the future generations. Have fun doing your positive part!

There is more than enough opportunities here so that nearly everyone in Oz Report… thousands,
could find a Paresev gem regarding these pilots and their hang glider variants to post something interesting
and helpful for hang gliding history's legacy!

Here is one point:

http://www.energykitesystems.net/Paresev/OneSourceOfSpellChallengeParesev.jpg

Distinctions. Off-this-topic items each deserving their topic threads Off this topic generally would be, please, thanks:
==the TTV (Gemini Test Tow Vehicle) which may deserve a topic thread for its own hang gliding sphere. Gemini Ordeal Tow Vehicle or TTV
== John Worth and his many hang glider crafts at the very start of things. He has passed recently.
== Ryan Aeronautical flex-wing hang gliders (when power off or tested as gliders)
== Early Tony Prentice 1960 hang glider
== Barry Hill Palmer 7 or 8 hang gliders
== And the later Burns story and the later yet JD story
== Early 1800s flexible wing hang gliders
== Early flexible-wing hang gliders
== Patents on hang gliders
====As it might occur, PARESEV had some preamble affectors; one affector came from Rogallo's two earlier patents; focused examination of those two patents in themselves and in their aftermath can be exciting unfolding, and such may be extensive. So, focus on that path is invited to be discussed in Oz Report at http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29177 so that more pointed discussion in the present topic may look at the PARESEV hang gliders and the 8 test pilots. {This line item is a Sept. 4, 2012 added edit.} Without such split, the present discussion could get derailed; thank you for any cooperation on that. The are many matters within the present discussion that deserve dedicated threads of discussion.
== History of hang gliding from early centuries forward
== Harangues about personal definitions of "What is a hang glider? to this person or that person.
== ????
All are invited to send a PM to me about some question that you are working on relative to this hang gliding history legacy PARESEV topic.
I will note your intent on a working page; spread the fun without duplication;
there is enough for anyone interested. The Wish List is HERE.

Reporter Amy Shira Teitel states "7" and not the "8" for the count. Clarifying this matter with her is on the wish list. Or someone else might confirm the count.
Another source comes up and stops at a count of five pilots, however without declaring that there were not more. The theme of "8" goes until proven tall. Thanks.

====Sometimes one will see the misspelling of "Para…" while the program set of hang gliders was "Paresev" with emphasis on "research". The variants included some low-mass undercarriages and some larger-massed payloads as one of the aims was to carry larger payloads. A different program parallel to these hang gliders was done by Ryan Aeronautical. And John Worth did some hang glider work for NASA; those two arenas are separate topics. The parasol wing --often termed "parawing" (with some confusion by later use of the term) with hung-mass (universal joint, tension-hold of payload) within the Paresev program with focus on the pilots along with the variant details are the hoped foci of this thread. Recall that FAI is just one private org with their own specific limited objectives; their very limited definitions do not limit the larger aviation technology. Hang gliders come in a great rich variety. Some ducklings born with one sort of hang glider might be fixated with that one sort as the mother; however, aviation technology has a category that sees hang glider more broadly than just one duck's luck. Hopefully Oz Report posters will form the single best collection of data, drawings, images, facts, stories, etc. over the fullness of the Paresev pilots and crafts … than any other collection. It is a good time to get the story robust and available for the future generations. Have fun doing your positive part!

Ken, the topic is not your JD thing, not a study of the 1948 patent, not confined to what you were born with into hang gliding, not confined to just one org's view of activity, and not a voting contest of those who may not see a PG as a hang glider, etc. Have a wing, hang a mass from it, set it gliding and have fun doing it or not… do the hang gliding … in model, inhabited, uninhabited, etc. and still do hang gliding. Change undercarriages from the tensional hold to the 1908 cable-stayed A-frame (triangle control frame) or to parallel bars for arm-pit hold or parallel bars for forearm hold for special devices as John Worth built in 1960-62, and a host of other undercarriages for niche hang gliding activity, perhaps for the physically challenge, etc. …all hang gliders before you started hang gliding. Do you have something for us about one or more of those eight hang glider pilots for the treasure to be built here? Hang gliding activity has a host of niche activities and formats well beyond what the FAI faces; and this thread is not confined to any tiny corner of hang gliding, except the Paresev corner. Was the six-person flight by Bob Wills a hang gliding flight; yes. After kiting the Paresev configuration … after release…the system became a paraglider (in terms used then for that which is beyond glider…the mass hung… hang glider type). No power after release from the kiting mode. Hang gliders may weigh 500 tonnes or 1 gram; and sport may be had in the spirit in those realms. Anyone for a 100-person hang glider? Start a topic on that. All are invited to focus on these 8 hang glider pilots who raised the bar for hang gliding to 10,000 ft ASL, higher than earlier hang gliding efforts. Let's focus on their legacy and stories strongly as we might; let Oz Report be the winning holder of such respect and focus. The various other topics that are interesting deserve their own topic threads; go for that, thanks to Davis and his program here.

Wish I knew which of the 8 hang glider pilots was being kited in this video:
Maybe someone can get into the archives physically and identify the exact date and name and time of day ,etc. of the kited subject of this video:

Paresev Air Tow from Rogers Dry Lake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V74dXjTo-CE
This clip shows the kiting stage of the launch of the hang glider.
If anyone can identify the specifics for this exact flight, then that would be neat; thanks in advance!

Of the near 400 flights and very many variants, it would be neat to get a comprehensive Timeline on the Paresev flights; and identify which one is the clipped one here.
Have fun helping on the research and posting.

Note: Many variants of craft carried the "1-A" partial title. Be open to similar many-variants under "1-B" and "1-C". There were in total many more variants than three, though covering title might lead one to think just three. Once the Oz Report thread is rich and robust, then the count and specifics should become more clear. I do not have the secret answer; much help is needed for this happy project.

Note: A further challenge awaits helpers: Paper-prints from negatives would receive filing dates and captions that have errors of fact. And that placard and N number for "1-A" will be found on some "1-B" notations. When robust story is up, some of those discrepancies may be cleared. Any little bit may help.

See video HERE.

Space History Photo: The Birth of Hang Gliding You probably don’t think of NASA and hang gliding together, but their histories are interwoven. In the early 1960s, during the Mercury space program, http://www.space.com/15609-hang-gliding-birth-paresev-1.html
John Haig Thompson

Someone might choose to tackle this supportive sub-project:
Who is in the hang glider? Place? Date? What exact variant of the kite hang glider of the Paresev program is shown in the clip.
The full video from which the clip was taken prevents embedding; so, to view, go to the URL shown in the graphic; thanks.
Title of the video: Flexible Paraglider Wing Research and Development
Careful typing of the URL shown will reach the video that has in it some Paresev matter.
Thanks in advance for anyone tacking the detail for this clip.

http://youtu.be/Xkf1zOGskmc

Milt Thompson, one of the 8 hang glider pilots on some day _________ in the sunshine:
This variant's undercarriage was not the lightest and not the heaviest of the variants of the many Paresev hang gliders. The program's aim was flight practice and they wanted to protect the valuable human involved in the gliding's landing and taking-off experience. Someone from Oz Report will finally show the lightest of the protecting undercarriage; this is not it. Here we have Milt Thompson. Full story on him is invited by others. Many things can be discussed about this particular variant of the wing. Notice the N number. Notice the thing in front of the noseplate of the hang glider wing. Notice the foldability of the hang glider wing. And more. Help open up the story. Thanks.

During study of variants, one can notice different undercarriage truss structures, different choices of wheels … to help clue.

Eventually this topic thread will probably be able to place the date of the photo; paper-print captions are often incomplete and have been known to contain errors.

The following text (as all) may have some correctable statements in it; such may be sorted by anyone; thanks. The following is a quote and a video:

Paresev in flight with pilot Milt Thompson:
Abstract: This movie clip runs 37 seconds in length and begins with a shot from the chase plane of NASA Dryden test pilot Milt Thompson at the controls of the Paresev, then the onboard view from the pilot's seat and finally bringing the Paresev in for a landing on the dry lakebed at Edwards AFB. The Paresev (Paraglider Rescue Vehicle) was an indirect outgrowth of kite-parachute studies by NACA Langley engineer Francis M. Rogallo. In early 1960's the 'Rogallo wing' seemed an excellent means of returning a spacecraft to Earth. The delta wing design was patented by Mr. Rogallo. In May 1961, Robert R. Gilruth, director of the NASA Space Task Group, requested studies of an inflatable Rogallo-type 'Parawing' for spacecraft. Several companies responded; North American Aviation, Downey, California, produced the most acceptable concept and development was contracted to that company. In November 1961 NASA Headquarters launched a paraglider development program, with Langley doing wind tunnel studies and the NASA Flight Research Center supporting the North American test program. The North American concept was a capsule-type vehicle with a stowed 'parawing' that could be deployed and controlled from within for a landing more like an airplane instead of a 'splash down' in the ocean. The logistics became enormous and the price exorbitant, plus NASA pilots and engineers felt some baseline experience like building a vehicle and flying a Parawing should be accomplished first. The Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) was used to gain in-flight experience with four different membranes (wings), and was not used to develop the more complicated inflatable deployment system. The Paresev was designed by Charles Richard, of the Flight Research Center Vehicle and System Dynamics Branch, with the rest of the team being: engineers, Richard Klein, Gary Layton, John Orahood, and Joe Wilson; from the Maintenance and Manufacturing Branch: Frank Fedor, LeRoy Barto; Victor Horton as Project Manager, with Gary Layton becoming Project Manager later on in the program. Mr. Paul Bikle, Director of the Center, gave instructions that were short and to the point: build a single-seat Paraglider and 'do it quick and cheap.' The Paresev was unpowered, the 'fuselage,' an open framework fabricated of welded 4130 steel tubing, was referred to as a `space frame.' The keel and leading edges of the wings were constructed of 2 1/2-inch diameter aluminum tubing. The leading edge sweep angle was held constant at 50 degrees by a rigid spreader bar. Additional wing structure fabricated of steel tubing ensured structural integrity. Seven weeks after the project was initiated the team rolled out the Paresev 1. It resembled a grown-up tricycle, with a rudimentary seat, an angled tripod mast, and, perched on top of the mast, a Rogallo-type parawing. The pilot sat out in the open, strapped in the seat, with no enclosure of any kind. He controlled the descent rate by tilting the wing fore and aft, and turned by tilting the wing from side to side with a control stick that came from overhead. NASA registered the Paresev, the first NASA research airplane to be constructed totally 'in-house,' with the Federal Aviation Administration on February 12, 1962. Flight testing started immediately. There was one space frame built called the Paresev that used four different wing types. Paresev 1 had a linen membrane, with the control stick coming from overhead in front of the pilots seat. Paresev 1A had a regulation control stick and a Dacron membrane. Paresev 1B had a smaller Dacron membrane with the space frame remaining the same. Paresev 1C used a half-scale version of the inflatable Gemini parawing with a small change to the space frame. All 'space frames,' regardless of the parawing configuration, had a shield with 'Paresev 1-A' and the NASA meatball on the front of the vehicle. After the space frame was completed a sailmaker was asked to sew the wing membrane according to the planform developed by NASA Flight Research Center personnel. He suggested using Dacron instead of the linen fabric chosen, but yielded to the engineer's specifications. A nylon bolt rope was attached in the trailing edge of the 150-square-foot wing membrane. The rope was unrestrained except at the wing tips and was therefore free to equalize the load between the two lobes of the wing. This worked reasonably well, but flight tests proved the wing to be too flexible with it flapping and bulging in alarming ways. The poor membrane design led to trailing edge flutter, with longitudinal and lateral stick forces being severe. A number of different rigging modifications to improve the flying characteristics were tried, but very few were successful and none were predictable. Everything seemed to affect stick forces in the worst way. The fifth flight aloft lasted 10 seconds. On a ground tow the Paresev and pilot fell 10 feet. Considerable damage was done to the Paresev with the pilot, Bruce Peterson, being taken to the base hospital. Injuries sustained by the pilot were not serious. After this accident the Paresev was extensively rebuilt and renamed, Paresev-1A. PARESEV 1-A The sailmaker was asked again to construct a 150-square-foot membrane the way he wanted to. The resulting wing membrane had excellent contours in flight and was made from 6-ounce Dacron. The space frame was rebuilt with more sophistication than the Paresev 1 had been. The shock absorbers were Ford automotive parts, the wing universal joint was a 1948 Pontiac part, and the tires and wheels were from a Cessna 175 aircraft. The overhead stick was replaced with a stick and pulley arrangement that operated more like conventional aircraft controls. This vehicle had much improved stick forces and handling qualities. The instrumentation used to obtain data was quite crude, partially as a result of the desire to keep the program simple and low in cost and also because there was no onboard power. To measure performance, technicians installed a large alpha vane on the wing apex with a scale at the trailing edge that the pilot could read directly. A curved bubble level measured the vehicle attitude, and a Fairchild camera recorded the glide slope. PARESEV 1-B The Paresev 1-B used the Paresev 1-A space frame with a smaller Dacron wing (100 square feet) and was flight tested to evaluate its handling qualities with lower lift-to-drag values. One project NASA engineer described its gliding ability as 'pretty scary.' PARESEV 1-C The space frame of this vehicle remained almost unchanged from the earlier vehicles. However, a new control box gave the pilot the ability to increase or decrease the nitrogen in the inflatable wing supports to compensate for the changing density of the air. Two bottles of nitrogen provided an extra supply of nitrogen. The vehicle featured an inflatable wing. Actually the whole wing was not inflatable; the three chambers that acted as spars and supported the wing inflated. The center spar ran fore and aft and measured 191 inches; two other inflatable spars formed the leading edges. These three compartments were filled with nitrogen under pressure to make them rigid. The Paresev in this configuration was expected to closely approximate the aerodynamic characteristics that would be encountered with the Gemini space capsule, only with a parawing extended. The Paresev was very unstable in flight with this configuration. The first Paresev flights began with tows across the dry lakebed, in 1962, using a NASA vehicle, an International Harvester carry-all (6 cylinder). Eventually ground and airtows were done using a Stearman sport biplane (450 horsepower), a Piper Super Cub (150-180 horsepower), Cessna L-19 (200 horsepower Bird Dog) and a Boeing-Vertol HC-1A. Speed range of the Paresev was about 35 to 65 miles per hour. The Paresev completed nearly 350 flights during a research program from 1962 until 1964. Pilots flying the Paresev included NASA pilots Milton Thompson, Bruce Peterson, and Neil Armstrong from Dryden, Robert Champine from Langley, and Gus Grissom, astronaut, plus North American test pilot Charles Hetzel. The Paresev was legally transferred to the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. Despite its looks, the Paresev was a useful research aircraft that helped develop a new way to fly. Although the Rogallo wing was never used on a spacecraft, it revolutionized the sport of hang gliding, and a different but related kind of wing will be used on the X-38 technology demonstrator for a crew return vehicle from the International Space Station.
[Movie in small format went with this quote: ] http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/movie/Paresev/Small/EM-0022-01.mov

The tiny 37-sec clip shows release into free-flight hang gliding after the kited launch; the clip indicates Milt forcing changes in the relative position of his body mass to the wing's attitude; there is no power on board except gravity pulling the masses through aerial inclines; his body mass is hung and the hanging member is in tension and the connecting point at the keel is angularly variable during the weight-shift control of the Paresev's wing.

An enlarged view of Milt's pose on the tarmac is here for detail study:
http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/3/cdf57e47-acdd-4a58-b399-bfc952ebdd63.Full.jpg
The resolution will let us get very close to many details on the wing as well.
A backup copy is saved: http://energykitesystems.net/Paresev/FullMiltThompsonOnTarmac.jpg
Anyone? Proof of day of the photo? Photographer? Time of day? Position on what tarmac? N number? Variant? Discussion of the safety undercarriage? Etc. Thanks. Feel fun to clip details from the photo to add to the discussion.
THE OZ REPORT program shows the low resolution file copy in Oz Report and also the backup high resolution copy that may be enlarged for detail clipping.

Heavy communications device for this experimental hang glider session! Compare with today's low-mass cell phones. This is a clip from the same photo featured in this post.

Close clip from same main photo. Milt Thompson.

On same photo of Milt Thompson on tarmac, here for discussion is a hang glider detail from the photo concerning the aft keel-sail attachment:

Hang glider detail of keel and sail at aft end of keel tube.

Clip from same Milt Thompson photo.

http://energykitesystems.net/Paresev/OpenForDiscussionClipFromHangGliderPilotedByMiltThompson.jpg

How did that part work? Anyone?
Archive memos might be interesting over this part.

The abstract above had this note:
"To measure performance, technicians installed a large alpha vane on the wing apex with a scale at the trailing edge that the pilot could read directly."

Anyone care to specially expand on the shown parts? What functions might be indicated by each part? How does that hang glider instrument compare with
how similar functions might be handled on many of 2012 hang glider systems? Someone might reach archive notes on the shown hang glider part to see if the apparent open-face tube is a pitot tube for helping to measure pressures. Thanks for any help on this.

[IMAGE]

The abstract of the Milt Thompson post above has something about car parts.
The variant picture was clipped to give this study detail on the hang points that permitted the tensionally-held pilot to move his mass left-or-right or fore-or-aft. The hang line is stiffened compared to the simple lines used in 1908 in Breslau hang glider (as is most common in many of today's hang gliders), but the hang-line-stiffened member served the immediate experimental purposes. Expensive precious cargo here … exploring.

Full specification and memos about the hang joint in this variant of the hang glider
that gave a universal direction capability is invited on the part. Anyone?
Maybe some old timer can get into the depths of the archives or some new young scholar ---???

http://energykitesystems.net/Paresev/HangGliderTwoAxisAndTensionHangVariantCarParts.jpg

From the abstract of two posts up: "the wing universal joint was a 1948 Pontiac part"

[ ] So, maybe in Oz Report there is someone who is a car buff and can supply detail of the 1948 Pontiac part involved in the hang glider's hang-point joint? Thanks for help.

[IMAGE]

The Wish List is

HERE

Just posted is that we know that seven of the eight hang glider pilots of the PARESEV program have passed to the NEXT THERMAL.
First man to walk on the Moon died last week on the 25th of August: Neil Armstrong, hang glider test pilot;
others of the eight passed before, except: Hetzel? We do not know about Hetzel.
Anyone might pick that question as a special help. Thanks. Ken, maybe you have the fact? Anyone?

Interlude: Ken, are you going to use a post to count each stepped person that sees the variants of the PARESEV hang gliders as hang gliders?
That may eventually be thousands of posts in this topic thread just on counting a poll you are taking step by step.
Consider posting a poll someplace and invite in a different topic thread. Just say'n. This topic is not about the much visited
definition of a hang glider. It was already politely indicated that a glider with hung mass in gliding mode is a hang glider
be it 500 tons or 1 gram in mass or whether it is inhabited or uninhabited, whether it is used for putting out fires or showing off
to family and friends. The NASA knew they were not working with sailplanes; they knew they were working with kited launch of something beyond primary or advanced glider,
a manned free-flight glider with a parawing in variants … mechanically a hang glider. Please consider taking your poll to another thread.
You are invited to add to the present topic, as always. Hang gliders arrive in a vast variety, not just one sort. Repeating, sorry: private orgs
and processes often will confine themselves to narrow foci; that confining need not prevent respect for all that happens beyond their confined foci.
One need not yell and harangue inside a topic thread, "Hey, don't look at this, as it is not what I believe in!" or something kin to that.
Instead, find something on the PARESEV program and its hang glider pilots and share that history with us; consider enlarging your own
collection with the matter.

Going further now, this post, after confirming that at least 7 of the 8 Paresev hang glider pilots have passed and we await someone coming up with vital facts for Hetzel,
here is some further content on one of the variants of the long series of hang gliders made and flown in the PARESEV program:

The title that the Smithsonian Institute gives for their display of one of the variants is:
Gemini Paraglider Research Vehicle 1-A with wing
Someone in Oz Report is invited to come up with a detailed tight trace of the handling of the display version. Sign-offs for the hang glider, transport, any intermediary stops, and the log of display with dates and notes. Thanks. Let me know and I'll post the Wish List. Viewers of the museum may not be warned about the fact that the displayed variant is certainly not the first variant hang glider of the series which all carried the same one FAA registration number. Just what evolute the displayed craft is yet to be known for this topic thread discussion; hopefully someone can report on that matter, in time; thanks.

http://airandspace.si.edu/images/collections/media/full/A19700076000cp24.JPG

For backup, the page explains on this day::
Summary
Manufacturer: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 11 ft. 3 in. tall x 7 ft. 5 in. wide x 8 ft. deep, 485 lb. (342.9 x 226.1 x 243.8cm, 220kg)
Materials: Tubular steel; Dacron wing; rubber wheels

From 1962 to 1964, NASA used the Paresev to develop the technology for landing the two-man Gemini capsule on land, instead of parachuting into the ocean, as had been done in Project Mercury. The astronauts would release an inflatable paraglider wing based on the work of Francis Rogallo, and maneuver to a runway or dry lake bed. Astronauts "Gus" Grissom and Neil Armstrong were among those who piloted the Paresev during several hundred flights at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Paresev was towed by a ground vehicle or a small aircraft and released at an altitude between 5,000 and 12,000 feet. It was tested with three different wings; the 1-A is the first configuration. Before the paraglider concept could be fully developed for the Gemini program, NASA decided to stick with the proven technology of parachutes and water landing.

NASA transferred the Paresev to the Smithsonian in 1968.

Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The hang space frame and undercarriage accounted for the bulk of the mass involved. Verification of the mass involved as to such is the all-up mass, etc., and the distributions of mass is a sub-project someone might volunteer for. There may be errors on mass reporting; mixing up the masses of variants is something to be studied. Recall that the all-up mass of one of Wills Wills hang glider flights in Mexico was approximately (on the low guess end) 720 lb or more.

Regarding the F.A.A. registration number N9765C: The shown registration number: N9765C Trace on the history of that registration number is in my office and such will be reported in full when the several documents are found again : ) . The registration number was good for the many variants.

Clarifying why the PARESEV program was put aside: A key note that will be referenced is that "failure" of the PARESEV program regarded deployment challenges, not the hang gliding challenges; often this distinction is missed as tellers glance simply to NASA choosing parachute over the stiffened hang glider wing for the Gemini re-entry function. Other users of the wing for sport, recreation, work, etc. did not have the space-vehicle deployment challenge! So, John Worth, Ryan Aeronautical, etc. did not have to face the deployment challenges that were at the end-purpose of the PARESEV program. There was no problem of opening the folded variants for the pilot-practice craft, but there were very strong challenges of deploying the wings for the actual re-entry scene.

Neil Armstrong left us last week, but as his family requests: when we look up at the Moon, recall Neil and all he meant to us and his values.

In light of that, I can see Neil extended into Moon City doing hang gliding using the same wing that he used for some of his Paresev hang glider flights.
Steve, would you be interested in running the calculations for the sink rate in Moon City using the wing of 150 sq. ft with a payload of Earth sea level weight of pilot of say 180 lb all up (the weight would be about what… 1/6 at Moon City indoors… so about 30 lbMoonweight for Neil and then for that Rogallo parawing used in some of the Paresev hang glider flights on Earth? Similar 1/6 for say an aluminum tubing version of the same wing airfoil…maybe wing at Moon pounds of what, about 48/6= 8 moon pounds; or whatever you come up with. Thanks in advance if you run the numbers. I do not see the body mass of Neil at his younger age when he did his first Paresev hang glider flights. That would be an interesting PARESEV discussion note, Steve, I guess.

[ ] Maybe someone can find the Earth body weights of all the 8 pilots in focus at the time that they did the gliding flights. Thanks in advance.

Opportunity grows for takers: The Wish List is HERE

Haig offered:
Preliminary Investigation of Paraglider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U9oOggcWdE&list=PLA4B4DD906F792BB9&index=2&feature=plpp_video

John, there seems to be a video set. Exploring the various videos brings the human doll holding the control bar on a hang glider in the hangar or workroom. That stiff control bar was like the basebar of the Breslau triangle control frame or A-frame of 1908 in the gliding club then (short hauled pilot, hung from keel of hang glider)…just like is most common in today's hang gliders.

Preliminary Investigation of Paraglider. video. Such 1959c. Rogallo spawnings were preliminary investigations that gave confidence in late 1961 for the quick decision to do the pilot hang gliding practice on stiffened paraglider hang gliders in the PARESEV program. Such program was SEPARATE from the North American, Ryan, and Goodyear and other contracts over the paraglider hang gliders. Thanks for the link on the book; in the wish list, I have started some invitations over clips from that long book; much hang glider history is involved in the Gemini program. Perhaps a separate topic thread for the North American early paraglider hang gliders, as this thread has a large chunk to chew to get up the stories of the 8 hang glider pilots that actually glided the stiffened-boom hang glider wing and its many variants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLA4B4DD906F792BB9&v=_U9oOggcWdE&feature=player_embedded
In a few visits to the video, I seem to get served sometimes a different video than the one you mentioned. Exploring will get one to the human doll with control bar paraglider hang glider. The first glider launch is by Francis Rogallo, but other launches in the video show other people … with payload the model Gemini vehicle.

caption on the intended video by the poster of the video: Preliminary investigation of a paraglider which was performed by Francis M. Rogallo, John G. Lowry, Delwin R. Croom, and Robert T. Taylor. The investigation was conducted at NASA Langley Research Center in the 14-by-22 Subsonic Tunnel.

The film you mentioned, Haig, had a frame that read: "Flim Supplement to NASA TN D-443" of publication date August 1960, with 28 pages, which is here adjoined within Oz Report space:

Clip from the last page of TN D-433, published August 1960 regarding earlier studies and experiments on the hang gliders in small size form Re respected:

http://energykitesystems.net/Paresev/clipFromTND443ofNASAofAugust1960pub.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jub8y6WSI8M&feature=share&list=PLA4B4DD906F792BB9

LRC in 1961 in Ryan Saturn Booster Recovery program