Back in 2000, Austin Meyer simulated Mars in X-Plane, his physics-based sim. (Nitpickers corner: some people don't like it, but it's good enough for this kind

Back in 2000, Austin Meyer simulated Mars in X-Plane, his physics-based sim. (Nitpickers corner: some people don't like it, but it's good enough for this kind of a thing) His summary is kind of over-the-top but interesting nonetheless: http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/mars.html http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/mars.html TL;DR: Flying on Mars is tough. He used a JATO to take off at 600 mph, a plane similar to a U-2, and an arresting hook to stop.