SpaceX, NASA looking into sluggish chutes on last 2 flights

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX and NASA are investigating  a parachute issue that occurred on the last two capsule flights. One of the four main parachutes was slow to inflate during the return of four astronauts to Earth last November. The same thing happened last week as a Dragon cargo capsule was bringing back science experiments from the International Space Station. In both cases, the sluggish parachute eventually opened and the capsules splashed down safely of the coast of Florida. Officials for SpaceX and NASA said Friday they want to better understand what’s happening, especially before launching another crew in a month or two.