The year 2012 has seen exciting advancements and historic events in our field. On August 5, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity landed safely on the surface of Mars. NASA's entry, descent, and landing system was the most advanced yet. Among the biggest challenges was the supersonic parachute, a mortar-deployed disk-gap-band canopy with a 21.4-m diameter. Built by Pioneer Aerospace, it is the largest parachute used on Mars and also has the highest deployment Mach number.
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