Parachutes, air bags, sky cranes: there are many options for attempting to (safely) land a probe on Mars, and some of them have even worked! Unclear at this time what became of this particular parasol plan.
Popping: interesting word choice for something that big, something intended to do the opposite of crashings and smashings.
As strange as this interplanetary toadstool looks, one can only hope it worked. Or looked spectacular when it didn’t.