Aerobreaking could net you some gain.  Obviously, this requires a more engineeered vehicle, including possibly an ablative shield.<p>Even at that, however, you&#x27;ll be skimming very close to Mars&#x27; surface and incurring very high temperatures.<p>Perhaps (and this is a big perhaps) we could engineer lifting body surfaces to increase the time-in-atmosphere and dissipate heat better.<p>This is why I love playing Kerbal Space Program.