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The nose cap of each booster is jettisoned at
an altitude of 2.9 statute miles (2.5 nautical miles/4.6 kilometers) and
deploys the pilot parachute. The pilot parachute immediately deploys the
drogue parachute which is attached to the top of the frustum, the
cone-shaped structure at the forward end of the booster.
At an altitude of 1.3 statute miles (1.1
nautical miles/2.1 kilometers), the frustums separate from the boosters.
This releases three main parachutes housed within the frustums. It is
these chutes that will quickly slow the booster’s speed from 230 miles
per hour (370.1 kilometers an hour) to a speed of 51 miles per hour (82.1
kilometers per hour). At approximately seven minutes after liftoff, the
boosters will impact the Atlantic Ocean. The splashdown area is a box of
about 6.9 by 10.4 statute miles (six by nine nautical miles/11.1 by 16.7
kilometers) located about 140 nautical miles (160 statute miles/257.6
kilometers) downrange from the launch pad.
The retrieval ships are on station at the
time of splashdown, at about 9.2-11.5 statute miles (8-10 nautical
miles/14.8-18.5 kilometers) from the impact area. As soon as the boosters
enter the water, the ships accelerate to a speed of 15 knots (17.3
miles/27.8 kilometers an hour) and quickly close on the boosters.
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