Mars orbiter images reveal Beagle 2 lander
Posted: Sat, Jan 17, 2015, 9:04 AM ET (1404 GMT)
Images from a NASA spacecraft show that the UK's Beagle 2 lander, lost since it arrived at Mars in late 2003, did appear to land intact but did not fully deploy afterwards. Officials with the UK Space Agency released on Friday images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which show an object on the surface in the expected landing area that appears to be Beagle 2. The images indicate that the small spacecraft did land intact, contrary to previous fears, but did not fully deploy its solar panels and antenna afterwards, and thus could not communicate with Earth. Beagle 2 flew to Mars as a secondary payload with ESA's Mars Express orbiter, and was scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Day of 2003. Controllers never heard from the spacecraft after the scheduled landing time, leading to speculation that the spacecraft crashed.
Images from a NASA spacecraft show that the UK's Beagle 2 lander, lost since it arrived at Mars in late 2003, did appear to land intact but did not fully deploy afterwards. Officials with the UK Space Agency released on Friday images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which show an object on the surface in the expected landing area that appears to be Beagle 2. The images indicate that the small spacecraft did land intact, contrary to previous fears, but did not fully deploy its solar panels and antenna afterwards, and thus could not communicate with Earth. Beagle 2 flew to Mars as a secondary payload with ESA's Mars Express orbiter, and was scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Day of 2003. Controllers never heard from the spacecraft after the scheduled landing time, leading to speculation that the spacecraft crashed.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, July 15
Starlink Doubled Its Speed In 2 Years. It Still Doesn’t Meet the FCC’s Definition of Broadband
CNET News.com — 6:15 am ET (1015 GMT) Cable fears starlink may force them out of market
The Tribune (Bahamas) — 6:14 am ET (1014 GMT) Defence announces purpose-built space workforce for Australian Defence Force
Defence Connect (Australia) — 6:13 am ET (1013 GMT) Britain’s next war could begin in space, warns top military commander
The Daily Telegraph — 6:12 am ET (1012 GMT) Modernized GPS operating system nears full operational integration
GPS World — 6:11 am ET (1011 GMT) |
