Still no contact with Beagle 2
Posted: Fri, Dec 26, 2003, 12:07 PM ET (1707 GMT)
A second attempt to contact the British-built Beagle 2 Mars lander failed on Thursday night when an Earth-based radio telescope could not detect any signals from the spacecraft. The 76-meter Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank in the UK listened Thursday night but detected no signals from the spacecraft, which landed on Mars in the early morning hours Thursday. A radio telescope array in the Netherlands was also enlisted in the effort to contact the spacecraft, but strong radio interference interrupted that attempt. NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which made the first attempt to detect Beagle 2 when it passed over the landing site less then three hours after touchdown, will make another 30-minute pass Friday starting at 12:53 pm EST (1753 GMT). Jodrell Bank will also listen for spacecraft signals Friday evening as well. Beagle 2 has 13 more pre-programmed communications attempts, after which it will transmit a pulse signal throughout the daylight hours.
A second attempt to contact the British-built Beagle 2 Mars lander failed on Thursday night when an Earth-based radio telescope could not detect any signals from the spacecraft. The 76-meter Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank in the UK listened Thursday night but detected no signals from the spacecraft, which landed on Mars in the early morning hours Thursday. A radio telescope array in the Netherlands was also enlisted in the effort to contact the spacecraft, but strong radio interference interrupted that attempt. NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which made the first attempt to detect Beagle 2 when it passed over the landing site less then three hours after touchdown, will make another 30-minute pass Friday starting at 12:53 pm EST (1753 GMT). Jodrell Bank will also listen for spacecraft signals Friday evening as well. Beagle 2 has 13 more pre-programmed communications attempts, after which it will transmit a pulse signal throughout the daylight hours.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, March 27
Lightning on Jupiter could be up to 1 million times stronger than on Earth
SPACE.com — 5:11 am ET (0911 GMT) Who is Artemis? Meet the Greek goddess who inspired NASA's return to the moon
SPACE.com — 5:09 am ET (0909 GMT) Incredible new NASA images reveal Saturn in a new light — and it's all thanks to a telescope team-up from Webb and Hubble
SPACE.com — 5:09 am ET (0909 GMT) Don't miss the waxing moon swing by the Beehive star cluster March 27
SPACE.com — 5:08 am ET (0908 GMT) Sun storms are powered by a magnetic engine 16 Earths deep, study finds
SPACE.com — 5:08 am ET (0908 GMT) |
