I remember seeing a documentary on designing the parachute for one of the Mars landers. JPL build this huge building solely for the purpose of testing the parachute designs. Design after design after design failed, and the engineers were worried that they'd never figure out how to make a working Mars parachute.
But they did come up with a design that worked. Phew!
The cost of that special building, the building's design, the special machinery that filled it, and all those months of testing various parachute designs must have been enormous, and all count for the cost of parachute #1. The construction of parachute #2, after all that, was likely insignificant in comparison.
But they did come up with a design that worked. Phew!
The cost of that special building, the building's design, the special machinery that filled it, and all those months of testing various parachute designs must have been enormous, and all count for the cost of parachute #1. The construction of parachute #2, after all that, was likely insignificant in comparison.