#ttv-1

1961 - At the start of the Gemini program, it was considered to have the two-man capsule land on a runway, instead of the usual spashdown in the ocean. As proposed, a Rogallo wing would deploy after the capsule entered the atmosphere, allowing the capsule to safely land on wheels or skis in a controlled descent.

The Gemini Test Tow Vehicle (TTV)-1 Paraglider was a manned-test article, dropped from a helicopter at Edwards Air Force Base, used to test the controlled landing concept. The design was dropped in favor of the more traditional parachute landings, but offers an interesting insight into what could have been.