(I don't understand the downvotes; you're asking the same reasonable questions that I'm sure Elon asked too.) From what I've read, passive landing solutions li

(I don't understand the downvotes; you're asking the same reasonable questions that I'm sure Elon asked too.) From what I've read, passive landing solutions like parachutes, wings, rotors, air bags, etc. are feasible only for smaller payloads. Think Apollo/Soyuz capsules, or the first couple Mars landers, or RocketLab's Electron rocket with a parachute. I'm sure the JPL engineers would have preferred a tried-and-tested passive parachute (and maybe some airbags) over a sky-crane, but the latest rovers are just too heavy for safe parachute landing. I believe it's the same situation with Falcon 9 and Starship recovery. And remember that SpaceX's Dragon capsule demonstrated an impressive propulsive landing, but NASA said no thanks and required parachutes.