Descending at an angle could be key to landing heavier craft on Mars
Concept art of a spacecraft changing directions using retropropulsion.NASA One of the (many) challenges of landing a spacecraft on Mars is getting it to settle on the surface safely, without impacting too hard or damaging any of the delicate scientific equipment on board. The heavier the craft, the more difficult a safe landing is to achieve, which is why the heaviest vehicle landed on Mars so far is the Curiosity Rover which weighs a relatively light 1 metric ton (2,200 lbs)....