November Mission Model Discussion: M15 - LANDER TOUCH-DOWN

Welcome to the November Mission Model Discussion! From now until just before Thanksgiving this space will feature ONE part of the FIRST LEGO League INTO ORBIT game challenge per day. The Robot Game is only 1/4th of the overall FIRST LEGO League challenge for teams this year!
This post is meant to be an aid, not a replacement for carefully reading the Challenge Guide and Updates!

Today we will explore M15 - LANDER TOUCH-DOWN

At the Beginning of the Match

The Lander Release is secured to the mat in the Northeast corner inside the orange planet. The Lander Parts are assembled together and clamped into the Lander Release with the Lock Lever all the way down.

Required for Scoring

Move the Lander from the Lander Release so that the intact Lander* is touching the mat in the target
circle inside the orange planet or on the orange planet, or the Lander is in Base.

*The Lander is considered intact if the two parts are connected by at least two of the four tan connectors.

Points

0 - The Lander is not in Base, or it is not intact on the mat in the orange planet graphic.
16 - The Lander has been moved completely to Base.
20 - The Lander is intact and on the mat inside the orange planet, but not completely in the target circle.
22 - The Lander is intact and touching the mat completely inside the target circle inside the orange planet. 

Note from Oregon Head Referee Tom

Reminder - the lander is extremely fragile, and Rule R17 - Field Damage applies.

Real World Impact

Getting landing craft on other planets with their contents safe and intact is not a simple task. The fall from space as gravity takes over causes the object to accelerate rapidly. It's the ultimate egg drop! Getting a lander to touch down on Mars happens in many stages. Some missions start with an orbital separation giving the lander an orbital satellite to communicate with. Even then, the descent is not an easy one. The gravity pulls the lander down very fast, which is in opposition of the goal of slowing the lander so that it remains intact (and sometimes upright). NASA and others have many strategies for successful landings and sometimes they work!

Discussion

For the Lander there are no conditions mentioned, just requirements. That makes this mission a harder challenge for the team as they have several problems to solve and all their creativity to do it with. The location for this mission is also the farthest point from Base and near the Satellite mission which needs to stay in scoring position and could be bumped by a robot working on this mission. Where will your team start with all these challenges?