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How did Curiosity land safely in Gale crater?

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Mars
Mars An especially serene view of Mars (Tharsis side), a composite of images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft in April 1999. The northern polar cap and encircling dark dune field of Vastitas Borealis are visible at the top of the globe. White water-ice clouds surround the most prominent volcanic peaks, including Olympus Mons near the western limb, Alba Patera to its northeast, and the line of Tharsis volcanoes to the southeast. East of the Tharsis rise can be seen the enormous near-equatorial gash that marks the canyon system Valles Marineris.

Because of its large size, the Curiosity rover could not use the airbag landing system employed by previous missions. Instead, it utilized an intricate, 15-step landing sequence—often called the "seven minutes of terror"—to reach Gale crater safely.1

The process involved the following key stages:
* Deceleration: A parachute significantly slowed the vehicle after it entered the Mars atmosphere, followed by the discarding of the heat shield.1
* Powered Descent: Rockets stabilized the spacecraft, allowing it to hover and resist horizontal winds as it neared the surface.1
* Sky Crane: The rover was lowered to the surface by three tethers from the spacecraft’s body, known as the sky crane.1
* Deployment: While still in the air, the rover’s mobility system—its wheels and suspension—was released, allowing it to be ready for operation immediately upon touchdown.1
* Separation: Once the rover touched the ground, onboard computers released the tethers, and the sky crane flew away to crash at a safe distance.1