# Flying on Mars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 25, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140 "2017-01-25T13:23:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/21 "2017-01-27T23:41:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Or you can use more than one laser to apply different forces to different sides of the balloon Can you not hit the balloon on different sides? My first thought was having the ablative mass on two paddles on either side and hit that to turn, but that adds mass that the balloon must lift. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/22 "2017-01-28T00:25:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Can you not hit the balloon on different sides? My first thought was having the ablative mass on two paddles on either side and hit that to turn, but that adds mass that the balloon must lift. Didn’t I just say that in what you quoted? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/23 "2017-01-28T01:07:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Didn’t I just say that in what you quoted? I thought you wrote, “Different lasers” and hit the balloon rather than paddles or, better, rudders. I was thinking of using a single laser to hit a wide rudder on different sides to turn the balloon. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/24 "2017-01-28T01:25:59Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > a “one time only” 😉 landing profile. That’s technically called “lithobraking”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/25 "2017-01-28T02:24:00Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > That’s technically called “lithobraking”. I thought it was known afterwards as, “Thank you, Jesus!” ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/26 "2017-01-28T02:55:56Z")
If you were only interested in getting from point A to point B without having to make any turns , how about a cannon or a rail gun? You’d have to use something like parachutes or retro rockets for landing. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140/27 "2017-01-28T04:30:42Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > how about a cannon or a rail gun? You’d have to use something like parachutes or retro rockets for landing. Low atmospheric density means that Mars parachutes must be huge - and thus heavy, expensive, and hard to re-use. Retro rockets have the same drawbacks, with the additional one of needing sophisticated electronic control (which would have a tough time surviving the acceleration). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-mars/778140.md?page=1)