Lost Martian lander Beagle2 found, possibly intact
JAN 16, 2015
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028569
BBC : On Christmas Day 2003, the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Beagle2 attempted a landing on Mars using parachutes and airbags. However, following the descent, radio contact could not be established, and it was believed the lander experienced a high-speed crash. Now, pictures taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) of the landing site suggest that Beagle2 landed successfully but didn’t fully deploy an array of solar panels that hid the craft’s radio antenna. Despite Beagle2‘s failure, it provided significant experience to the ESA for the design of the ExoMars rover currently under development.
© 2015 American Institute of Physics
