I need to watch the video. The “sky crane” sounds like an odd cartoon contraption - I’m thinking Dr. Seuss. The craft hurdles towards Mars. At the last minute it stops, deploys the sky crane from itself, and then lowers itself by the sky crane to the planet.
Watch this video, enlarge the video, and turn up the volume.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4boyXQuUIw