NASA thinks easiest way to land on Mars might be to crash into it: Here's why

NASA engineers are testing whether or not the easiest way to get to the Martian surface is to crash into it. SHIELD (Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device) is a Mars lander concept that could allow lower-cost missions to visit the Martian surface by using an impact-absorbing, collapsible base to safely crash land, according to the agency.

The experimental Mars lander's design takes inspiration from NASA's Mars Sample Return campaign, in which the first step involves the Perseverance rover collecting rock samples in airtight metal tubes; a future spacecraft will carry those samples back to Earth in a small capsule and safely crash land in a deserted location.

"We think we could go to more treacherous areas, where we wouldn't want to risk trying to place a billion-dollar rover with our current landing systems. Maybe we could even land several of these at different difficult-to-access locations to build a network," said SHIELD's project manager, Lou Giersch of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Crash landing on Mars? @NASA has touched down on Mars nine times, relying on parachutes, airbags, and jetpacks. Now, scientists think the easiest way to get to the Martian surface might be to crash into it using an experimental design called SHIELD: https://t.co/w6IerZrkZ3 pic.twitter.com/mvSh8kJleJ

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) October 20, 2022

In August, the SHEILD team gathered at the drop tower at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a full-size prototype of the lander's collapsible attenuator, an inverted pyramid of metal rings that absorb impact. The drop tower features a giant sling, called a bow launch system, that can hurl an object into the surface at the same speeds reached during a Mars landing.

The attenuator was hung on a grapple and a smartphone, a radio, and an accelerometer were inserted to simulate the electronics a spacecraft would carry.

In just two seconds, the bow launcher slammed SHIELD into the ground at roughly 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour) - that's the speed a Mars lander reaches near the surface after being slowed by atmospheric drag from its initial speed of 14,500 miles per hour (23,335 kilometers per hour) when it enters the Mars atmosphere, according to NASA.

When the team opened the prototype and retrieved the simulated electronic payload, they found the onboard devices including the smartphone survived the impact.

NASA says the next step is to design the rest of the lander in 2023 and seeing just how far their concept can go.