re: Yeah, the failure of MPL could have been avoided if they used an entirely different landing system.
"On the other hand the Beagle 2 would have been a success if they used the more robust airbags NASA used, with a relatively small increase in cost."
Couldnt happen. Not enough mass. Everyone is very quick to say "Bigger chutes" "Bigger airbags" "A transmitter during decent" - All things that were technically impossible due to mass constraints involved. It's mass that killed B2 imho - there's a limit below which you just cant do Mars Landings without excessive risk. 100kg you could do a whole lot more to ensure a safe landing. It was always ambitious, always risky, but always, imho, worth a try.
Doug