Aeroshell

When sending a rover on voyage from Earth to Mars there is definitely room for improvement in EDL technology (Entry, Landing, and Descent). One piece of technology that aids in all three of these components is the Aeroshell. The Aeroshell is… well a shell, that surrounds the Lander, serving as both a shield and a navigating device.
The aeroshell is composed of two cone shaped pieces, the heat shield . When entering into Martian atmosphere the vesicle is exposed to a tremendous amount of heat, it is the flat front shell that protects Lander from burning up. Also the shell acts as a break due to the flat surface of the shell, the craft will slow down when it is exposed to atmospheric pressure. The back shell contains multiple gadgets which all aid in landing and descent, including a parachute, a Litton LN-200 Inertial Measuring unit, and a set of RAD and TIRS rockets.
For more details on the aeroshell visit http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft_edl_aeroshell.html.