> "there wasn't a big decrease when the chutes deployed. It took a while."
They take some time to completely expand. They're actually deployed in a constricted ("reefed") configuration, and then after several seconds they're allowed to fully open.
They're also trying to slow down a large piece of metal -- the booster rockets are about 150 feet long and weigh about 200,000 pounds (empty weight) each. The chutes produce a lot of force, but they're pulling on a lot of mass too (acceleration = force/mass.)
They take some time to completely expand. They're actually deployed in a constricted ("reefed") configuration, and then after several seconds they're allowed to fully open.
They're also trying to slow down a large piece of metal -- the booster rockets are about 150 feet long and weigh about 200,000 pounds (empty weight) each. The chutes produce a lot of force, but they're pulling on a lot of mass too (acceleration = force/mass.)
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Solid_Rocket_Boos...