From: frank@ucla.edu   
      
   In article ,   
    Damon Hill  wrote:   
      
   > More 'interesting' (read: risky) sites will probably require active   
   > landing aids to avoid pitfalls, or precise navigation to verified   
   > safe locations; that might point to powered landings.   
      
      
   Why not use a ballute to slow down the probe and give it some "hover   
   time". A small engine could give the ballute and probe some cross range,   
   and would allow for a very soft landing near interesting terrain (say,   
   near the base of one of the canyon walls that show signs of very recent   
   fluid flow). The probe/rover would also have to be nuclear powered, to   
   extend its surface life.   
      
   There was also a Russian/Planetary society design that involved a hot   
   (Martian) air balloon that dangled a small probe onto the surface at   
   night, but the paylod was tiny.   
      
   Frank   
      
   --   
   Frank Henriquez  Programmer/Analyst  Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA   
   frank@ucla.edu   http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~frank/index.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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