Nasa Tests Way to Crash Land on Mars

We're testing a new way of landing on Mars.. bycrashing into its surface.

The Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device(SHIELD) is a lander concept being tested at NASA' J)Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It could one dayprovide a new way for low-cost missions to land onMars.

Rather than rely on parachutes or retrorockets, SHIELDwould include a collapsible, accordion-like base toabsorb the energy of a landing. A ful-size prototype ofthe base was tested on Aug. 12, 2022. The prototypewas hurled at the ground from the top of a nearly90-foot-tall (27-meter-tall) drop tower at JPL. A steelplate ensured the impact was even harder than whatWould be experienced on Mars.

The design worked: After crushing against the steelplate at 110 mph (177 kph), several electroniccomponents inside the SHIELD prototype, including asmartphone, survived the impact.