03-23-2015, 05:10 AM
America is the only nation that has soft landed on Mars, not just once but multiple times with total success. Russia has tried 3 or 4 times, they are going to try on Phobos or Deimos next. The UK Beagle 2 failed in 2003 and only spotted on the surface a few weeks ago. No other nation has the capability to make a soft landing on Mars with a substantial payload, robotic rovers, and even though India, China, Japan, the ESA have achieved orbit, they are many years away from being capable of a soft landing with a very small payload. NASA is working on a method to make a soft landing on Mars with a very large payload right now. Controlled reentry into another planet's atmosphere and gravity is nontrivial. The great thing that is going on is NASA is passing on what they have learned to private Enterprise.
"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*