• notfromhere@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    I’m by no means an expert, but my understanding is Mars’ higher gravity than the Moon makes landing like this much harder because you need to bring a much larger lander and much more fuel, etc. And then the thin atmosphere makes normal parachutes not really viable. That’s why NASA has come up with some interesting ways of dropping payloads onto Mars like surrounding one of the rovers in giant balloons.

    Here’s a link to the Perseverance’s parachute + sky crane + boosters landing

    • happybadger [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      They’re totally different scenarios but I couldn’t think of any other successful modern lunar landers which weren’t also Chinese. Mars is just the one other thing I know we’re flinging lil guys at.