QUESTION
How are you planning to land the Pathfinder?

ANSWER from Cathy Davis on December 22, 1996:
Here is a description of how the Pathfinder lands:
When Pathfinder reaches Mars, heat shields will provide the protection 
the spacecraft needs as it enters the atmosphere at 17,000 miles per hour. 
Friction with the atmosphere will slow the spacecraft significantly.

Then three large parachutes will deploy and the spacecraft will be
further slowed down.  As the lander nears the surface, small solid
rocket motors will fire.  This will bring the vertical velocity of the
spacecraft close to zero.  The spacecraft will then cut free from the
parachutes and rockets and will fall to the ground.

Meanwhile, giant airbags will have inflated around the Pathfinder. These
airbags, which are actually more like gigantic beach balls, 17 feet in
diameter, only take two seconds to inflate.  They will envelope the
Pathfinder thereby serving as a cushion. The Pathfinder will collide with
Mars at a 30 degree angle, with speeds up to 65 miles per hour. When it hits
the surface it will bounce as high as 40 feet. The airbags are made of a
material stronger than Kevlar and have a tensile strength of 450 pounds per
inch.

Thanks for writing.