In July 1997 NASA landed on Mars by wrapping its spacecraft in giant airbags and dropping it onto the surface at 30 miles an hour, where it bounced at least 15 times — one bounce 50 feet high — before rolling to a stop and releasing the first rover ever to drive on another planet.

In July 1997 NASA landed on Mars by wrapping its spacecraft in giant airbags and dropping it onto the surface at 30 miles an hour, where it bounced at least 15 times — one bounce 50 feet high — before rolling to a stop and releasing the first rover ever to drive on another planet.

It was the go-go 1990s. President Bill Clinton was in the White House, and the nation was more united, with a rising economy lifting all boats. Plus, the Cold War had ended years earlier, and the country could focus its money, time, and resources on the space program. What emerged from the efforts of scientists, engineers, and technicians at NASA was extraordinary. The mission was to venture to Mars, and the space agency set out to show the worl…