Investigations of Mars – its atmosphere, surface and interior – require simultaneous, distributed in situ measurements. We have developed an innovative prototype of the Mars Network Lander (MNL), a small lander/penetrator with a 20 % payload mass fraction. MNL features an innovative Entry, Descent and Landing System to increase reliability and reduce the system mass. It is ideally suited for piggy-backing on spacecraft, for network missions and pathfinders for high-value landed missions.

In a magnetic field reversal, the guiding center may not be valid due to large variation of the magnetic field on the length scale of the particle gyro-radius. Although they do not execute regular helical motion and temporarily meander inside the field reversal, quasi-adiabatic particles exit this reversal with a magnetic moment nearly identical to that at entry. We show that this behavior, which is a steady-state concept, can persist during dipolarization despite the induced electric field.