AirSpaceMag.com

Lead chute worker James Murrell has the mind-boggling task of untangling, cleaning, and repairing the parachutes from the booster rockets. Once the boosters are snugged up against the sides of the retrieval ships, the vessels make their way up the Banana River to moorage near the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the parachutes are unreeled. That’s when Murrell, 57, and his 20-member crew take over. Imagine a surface the size of a Walmart covered in tangled, heavy, saltwater-encrusted parachutes that must be straightened, inspected for damage, washed, dried, and then repacked for the next launch. “I’m not ready for the rocking chair yet,” says Murrell, who has worked on every shuttle flight and has never had a parachute failure in 31 years. He has no idea what the future holds. “We hear lots of rumors, but we’re just staying focused and want to do everything correctly,” he says. “There will be some decommissioning work, and a few people are self-nominating for retirement. There’s nothing else I want to do.”

David Burnett/Contact Press Images

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Photos from: "Throttle Down" »