1.   Keys that give slightly as you press them help soften the landing.

2.   The fact-finding mission will study the composition of Martian soils and test the engineering of a descent system that uses parachutes and large balloons to soften surface landings.

3.   The government payroll has softened the landing for the Central Texas economy during in past slowdowns.

4.   To soften the landing, she and her two sisters used sand brought home in potato chip bags from a nearby park.

5.   His hang-glider was equipped with a specially-designed wheelchair with an inflatable cushion to soften his landing.

6.   The veterans came down into a grassy but wet and muddy field, which softened their landings.