News

Lost UK Beagle 2 Probe Found on Mars

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has found the lost Beagle 2 probe – developed in the UK and launched on 2nd June 2003 – intact on the surface of Mars.

Beagle 2 was set to make a soft touchdown on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, by a combination of parachutes and airbags, but no radio contact was ever made with the probe. It was believed destroyed in a high-velocity impact.

High-resolution images from the NASA’s Orbiter show that not to be the case. From the pictures, it seems as though Beagle 2’s solar panel ‘petals’ failed to deploy, leaving the lander without enough power to transmit back to the European Space Agency.

Prof Mark Sims, Beagle’s mission manager from Leicester University, explained, “Without full deployment, there is no way we could have communicated with it as the radio frequency antenna was under the solar panels.”

He continued, “The failure cause is pure speculation, but it could have been, and probably was, down to sheer bad luck – a heavy bounce perhaps distorting the structure as clearances on solar panel deployment weren’t big; or a punctured and slowly leaking airbag not separating sufficiently from the lander, causing a hang-up in deployment.”

Sadly, Colin Pillinger, the principal investigator of the Beagle 2 project, died last year, before he could discover that his probe survived.

Source: BBC

Ashley Allen

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

SK Hynix Begins Production of First 321-Layer NAND Chips

SK Hynix has claimed to be the first company to mass-produce 321-layer NAND memory chips.…

9 mins ago

Trust Gaming GXT 609 Zoxa 2.0 PC Speakers

SOUNDS GREAT – Full stereo sound (12W peak power) gives your setup a booming audio…

4 hours ago

PowerA Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch

Special Edition Yoshi design Ergonomic controller shape with Nintendo Switch button layout Detachable 10ft (3m)…

4 hours ago

Logitech G Saitek PRO Flight Rudder Pedals

Fluid Motion: These flight rudder pedals are smooth and accurate that enable precise control over…

4 hours ago

Logitech G Saitek Farm Sim Controller

Heavy Equipment Bundle: Includes a steering wheel for heavy machinery, gas and brake pedals, and…

4 hours ago

Razer Ornata V3 X – Low Profile Gaming Keyboard

Low-profile Keys for an ergonomic gaming experience. With slimmer keycaps and shorter switches, enjoy natural…

4 hours ago