Whakarāpopototia te tuhinga:  Ina tau mai ngā kaipāho tuatahi ki Mars, e kore rātou e whakamahi i tētahi paraihe tūturu, i tētahi whakangungu wera rānei kua whakamahia i mua. Engari, ina pā ki te hau o runga o Mars, ka whakaroa i to rātau ahunga whakamua tētahi hanganga nui e rite ana ki te paraihe. Ko te pūkaha whakaheke pūkaha nui tēnei, ā, i te marama o Hune, ka whakamātauria e NASA tēnei hangarau whakahirahira - he taahiraa nui i te haerenga ki Mars. Panuku ki raro mō tētahi ataata mai i te whakamātautau o te tau kua hipa. I te marama o Hune, ka tukuna te waka ki te waahi tata mai i te Pacific Missile Range Facility o te Navy i Kauai, Hawaii, ki te whakamatautau i ona kaha ki te uru atu ki te hau o te Ao. Apopo i te 9am ki te 10am PDT (5pm ki te 6pm GMT), ka whakahaerehia e NASA he whakamatautau hurihuri o te waka i te Jet Propulsion Laboratory i California i mua i te kawe ki Hawaii. Ka rere ora te kaupapa i runga i Ustream, a ka taea e nga kaitirotiro te patai i nga paatai i runga i Twitter ma te whakamahi i te tohu #AskNasa. I te mutunga, ka tukuna te waka ki te waahi tata mai i te Pacific Missile Range Facility o te Navy i Kauai, Hawaii, i te Pipiri. He ahurei te hoahoa o te LDSD, mā te whakamahi i tētahi pūreretā whakaoho āhua donut hei waihanga i te ārai āhuarangi. Ina whakapirihia ki waho o te kapiti e haere ana i te Mach 3.5 ka taea te whakaiti i a ia ki te Mach 2, ka taea e te parachute noa te whakaputa. I te marama o Hune o te tau kua hipa, hei whakaata i te hau o Mars i runga i te Ao, i whakaarahia te LDSD ki te teitei o te 23 maero (37km) e te pounamu teitei. I whakarewaina e tētahi rocket iti ki runga ake i te 11 maero (18km). I tenei wa ka pupuhi te LDSD i tetahi mea nui ake te ahua o te papa, ka kawea mai ki te whenua ki te wai tuwhera. Ko te misioni whakaaturanga whakawhiti LDSD ka whakamatautau i nga hangarau whakahirahira ka taea ai te tuku i nga kawenga nui ki runga i te mata o Mars, i etahi atu tinana aorangi me nga taiao, tae atu ki te Ao, i kii a NASA i roto i tetahi korero. <unk>E kore e taea e ngā hangarau anake te taunga o ngā kawenga nui i runga i Mars, engari ka taea hoki te uru atu ki te nui atu o te mata o te ao mā te whakahohe...
Ka rere a NASA i tana whakangungu wera hou mai i Hawaii i roto i etahi marama e rua. Inanahi ka whakamātauria e ia te hangarau hou. E mohiotia ana ko te decelerator supersonic iti kiato (LDSD) E mea ana a NASA tērā pea i tētahi rā ka whakamahia hei kawe i te tangata ki Mars.