Long-lost Mars probe found after more than a decade

Sending the product of years of hard work into space can feel like a shot in the dark.

Now, more than a decade later, scientists are finally getting closure. A lander that was supposed to touch down on Mars on Christmas Day, 2003, before contact was lost, actually may have done so successfully.

Photos of the United Kingdom-built Beagle 2 Mars Lander have been captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Images were taken of what's presumed to be Beagle 2 in Isidis Planitia, a basin near Mars' equator, according to NASA.

They depict what is "the correct size, shape, color and dispersion to be Beagle 2." This confirms for the first time that the lander was able to touch down and "at least partially deploy its solar arrays."

NASA's website quotes Mark Sims of the University of Leicester, who led the Beagle 2's initial study phase and was the mission manager. It captures the feeling of finding something he thought was lost:

"I am delighted that Beagle 2 has finally been found on Mars. Every Christmas Day since 2003 I have wondered what happened to Beagle 2. My Christmas Day in 2003 alongside many others who worked on Beagle 2 was ruined by the disappointment of not receiving data from the surface of Mars. To be frank I had all but given up hope of ever knowing what happened to Beagle 2. The images show that we came so close to achieving the goal of science on Mars."

Can't get enough of Mars? Check out these photos from rovers Opportunity and Spirit that show the understated beauty of the planet's landscape and climate.