The thoughts of the cliff might be enough to terrify the able-bodied but some members of the squad had to overcome other demons before making thedescent.
On a downhill slope, get your speed low before you start thedescent, and do not let it build up - it is much easier to keep it low than to try to slow down once things get slippery.
"We will get a perspective that no one has seen before, of a spacecraft doing its final descent onto the Mars surface, " said deputy project scientist Ashwin Vasavada.
Manzarek, who was of Polish descent, was born and raised in south Chicago before studying cinematography at the University of California in Los Angeles where he first met fellow film student Morrison.
At the 10km mark, the walk takes a steep turn: the next kilometre is a scramble from about 300m above sea level to almost 500m, before a relatively quick descent to Hot Water Beach.