LANDING ON MARS
Matt Wallace, the deputy project manager on the mission, explains what will happen during the landing
What will happen on the day of the landing?
As we get very close, things start happening extremely quickly. About ten minutes prior to landing we will jettison the cruise stage – a piece of the spacecraft that helps us get to Mars – and essentially just be an entry capsule at that point. We will hit the atmosphere at about 21,000 kilometres (13,000 miles) per hour, and we will rapidly go through the series of activities we need to safely put us on the ground.