
Watch NASA simulate a Mars landing on Earth to test supersonic parachutes - antr
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/11/nasa-mars-parachute-test/
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curtis
I've long wondered if it would make sense to test Mars-bound hardware at high
altitude -- Earth atmospheric pressure at 100,000 to 200,000 feet is similar
to Mars surface pressure.

To test a parachute you'd probably pretty much need to launch it on a rocket,
so maybe it's not worth the trouble. You might be able to drop an airplane
designed for Mars from a balloon, however.

