Entry, descent, and landing technologies are critical to placing large payloads on other planets such as Mars. As a spacecraft enters an atmosphere of a planet such as Earth or Mars, collisions with the atmospheric atoms and molecules generate very high temperature in the leading edge of the entry vehicle.
To protect from the extreme heat, it is necessary to cover the vehicle with a thermal protection system, which consists of lightweight tiles that resist heat. Accurate modeling and simulation of atmospheric entry systems are critical and must continue to improve as part of the design and planning of these missions.