A Landing On Mars . ... The robot spacecraft is scheduled to vent cooling fluid, jettison its cruise stage, decelerate at 20 gees on atmospheric entry, deploy a 24 foot parachute, jettison its heat shield, slide down a 60 foot bridle , fire solid fuel braking rockets, deploy a cocoon of airbags , separate from the bridle , impact the martian surface , bounce a few times (traveling about 300 - 600 feet between bounces), settle on the surface , deflate the ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...