Spacecraft destined for Mars keep getting larger and heavier. NASA's Curiosity rover is already nearly one tonne, but payloads will continue to increase, especially if humans become part of the equation. A new study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has examined the options for weightier missions in the five- to 20-ton payload range and found that, paradoxically, having heavy spacecraft make hypersonic nosedives into the Martian atmosphere can allow them to be slowed down more efficiently with better control.
.. Continue Reading Nosedives would make for better landings on weighty Mars missionsCategory: Space
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from New Atlas (Gizmag) http://bit.ly/2WWgCeF
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