QUESTION:
How did the Mars' gravitational force affect the landing of the Pathfinder?
How did the engineer's simulate it?

ANSWER from Robert Manning on July 14, 1997:
Mars has a gravity that is about 3/8ths as stong as Earth's. Depending on
what aspect of the design we were testing, we used a variety of techniques
to simulate the lesser gravitational pull.

For example, we built a special 9 lb version of the Rover (3/8ths
Earth-weight) to simulate the loads that the rover puts on the roll-out
ramps as it leaves the lander.

When we tested the software that controls the entry descent and landing
phase, we created artificial (computer-generated) forces that "stimulated"
real accelerometers that the computer uses to decide when to deploy the
parachute. The computer-generated accelerations included the force of
gravity (as well as other forces) in a very realistic way.

In tests of airbags impacts (bounces) on the surface, we did not need to
simulate the gravity of Mars, but we DID have to replicate the impact speed,
direction and ambient air pressure (only 1% of Earth's).