The skies off the Hawaiian island of Kauai will be a
stand-in for Mars as NASA prepares to launch a saucer-shaped vehicle in an
experimental flight designed to land heavy loads on the red planet.
For decades, robotic landers and rovers have hitched a ride
to Earth's planetary neighbor using the same parachute design. But NASA needs a
bigger and stronger parachute if it wants to send astronauts there.