beagle2
Latest
Scientists find Mars probe Beagle 2 intact a decade after it disappeared
When British spacecraft Beagle 2 successfully ejected from Mars Express back on December 19th 2003, scientists expected to obtain confirmation of its touchdown on the Red Planet on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, no contact was ever received. Believing that it had been destroyed in a high-impact landing, the UK-led team abandoned the project, scuppering plans to search for signs of life on Mars. It's taken more than 11 years, but there's now finally some good news to report: Beagle 2 has been found intact on the planet's surface.
Britain's "Bridget" rover hopes to explore Mars
Even though we were pretty sure that the whole "life on Mars" issue had already been settled, scientists are still hell-bent on sending robots to scope out the Red Planet to look for tiny Martians, with the British unveiling a new rover today that promises to school hometown favorites Spirit and Opportunity at that very task. "Bridget," as the six-wheeled bot is known, can supposedly cover in just six months the same 6.2-mile stretch that's taken the American rovers over two years, thanks to a guidance system that allows for greater autonomy and requires less terrestrial control. Designed to compete for a spot on the European Space Agency's planned 2011 ExoMars mission, Bridget sports a two-meter drill, a so-called "life marker chip," and a micro seismometer, among other toots, to help enable the Agency's long-term goal of safely sending humans to our neighbor planet. And because half the battle is just getting there, engineers equipped the new bot with sensors that will let on-board airbags and parachutes guide it to a safer, more controlled landing -- ensuring that Bridget doesn't go MIA like the Beagle 2 rover in 2003, .
