Failed Beagle 2 probe "found" on Mars - scientist (Reuters)

(Anyone know where to find the mentioned pictures? I'd love to see them.)

Failed Beagle 2 probe "found" on Mars - scientist

Tue Dec 20, 2005 05:29 AM ET

By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - The scientist behind the lost 2003 Beagle 2 mission to Mars said on Tuesday the craft may have been spotted in NASA pictures which indicate the project very nearly worked. Beagle 2, named after the ship Charles Darwin sailed in when he formulated his theory of evolution, was built by British scientists for about 50 million pounds ($90 million) and taken to Mars aboard the European Space Agency's orbiter Mars Express.

It was due to land in a crater on the red planet in a bouncing ball of airbags and begin looking for signs of life on Christmas Day, 2003. But it lost contact with Earth once it separated from the mother ship in mid-December. Colin Pillinger told the BBC he thought the craft may have hit the ground too hard, damaging its instruments, because the atmosphere was thinner than usual due to dust storms.

Pictures taken by NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft may contain clues about Beagle's final seconds. "There is a lot of disturbance in this crater, particularly a big patch on the north crater wall which we think is the primary impact site," Pillinger said.

"There are then other features around the crater consistent with the airbags bouncing around and finally falling down into the middle. Then, when you cut the lace, the airbags fall apart giving three very symmetrical triangles." Four roughly circular features to the right of the 'airbag' markings could be Beagle's unfolded solar panels, he said.

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=10641252§ion=news>
(more at link above)

Pat Robertson says "Beagle II" was destroyed by Martian Jesus! :spray:

Puny Earthlings---that's a no fly zone

Illogically, I assumed burned, crashed, or both.

Makes it hurt less and more, too.

...predicted to land, or where they were aiming for, but because the antenna failed to deploy, they couldn't communicate with it?

Or are they saying they just found it after a lot of searching of the new surface scans?

IIRC they were going to examine images targeting the place they thought it landed, or was supposed to land.

They didn't say antenae but that's a guess in that he reports mechanical shock greater than expected.

But then, a number of things could have caused it.
Did they re-check their software? :hide:

Down a crater, I doubt NASA would want to send them there, but????

That's a little TOO wishful thinking...

Ack-Ack!

http://www.beagle2.com/index.htm

In searching for these, I discovered that Colin Pillinger was diagnosed with MS in July, which is very sad news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4671941.stm

Now we wait until November 2006, I guess.

Martian Pat Robertson blames recent metallic meteor strike in crater 1056435 to the lewd and lascivious lifestyle of the local residents, including the recent approval of tri-sex marriage.