Stages of Descent An Orion’s Arm future history image. Image is part of a sequence of images depicting events centered around the Year Zero mark on my future history timeline – establishment of a permanent human settlement on the surface of Mars. See link below. Future History Timeline Context Link: Orion’s Arm Future History Timeline. A Continuation of my Mars Settlement vehicle EDL (Entry, Descent, Landing) sequence. This set of two images depict aero-shell/heat-shield ejection and divert maneuver and orientation to final descent profile. Explosive bolts separate aero-shell cap and aero-shell upper body section from the landing craft. The vehicle executes a forward roll – ejecting the protective micro-meteorite covers over the gear mounted ACS jets, freeing these to control the vehicles flight. As the forward roll orients the heat shield aft, relative to the vehicles direction of travel, a second set of pyrotechnics’ fire in order to separate heat shield and lower portion of the aero-shell from the landing craft. The vehicles seven LH2/LO2 landing rockets ignite – each applying 23 gigawatts and 7,740,500 newtons of braking thrust to the vehicle – the landing craft immediately executes a divert maneuver flying clear of the aero-shell debris, orienting to a vertical (up-down) attitude for terminal descent to the landing target at Syria Planum. I went to some trouble to detail the internal bracing structure contained within the body of the heat-shield, details show the bracing structure, the footings and restraining connections to the lander all mounted to a shock-absorbing platform upon which the vehicle is cradled in flight – this system would work in conjunction with the (external to the aero-shell) mounted shock absorbing cradle platform on the interplanetary stage – see links: Orion Lander Separation and, Working Group Mars Settlement Transport Diagram for reference – the two sets of shock absorbers would be de-tuned in relationship to one another to further dampen out acceleration shocks imparted to the vehicle during powered nuclear-pulse maneuvers. All models are my own Bryce creations, constructed in Bryce 6.3 and rendered in Bryce 7 Pro. Post-work in Photoshop includes all smoke and engine glows. As always thank you for your interest, thoughtful comments, and encouragement.