The deployment of a radar on Europe’s Mars Express probe which is to look for water and ice under the Red Planet has been delayed until later this year.
The 40m-long Marsis antenna was due to open out of the spacecraft on 20 April.
The delay is linked to concerns that the antenna might swing back with a greater range of motion than expected after opening, hitting the spacecraft.
June 22nd, 2004
More delay for Mars water search
June 22nd, 2004
The Valles Marineris canyon
On 2 May 2004, the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board the ESA Mars Express spacecraft obtained images from the central area of the Mars canyon called Valles Marineris. The images were taken at a resolution of approximately 16 metres per pixel. The displayed region is located at the southern rim of the Melas Chasma at Mars latitude 12
June 9th, 2004
Evidence of flooding at Mangala Valles
These images of fluvial surface features at Mangala Valles on Mars were obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board the ESA Mars Express spacecraft. The HRSC has imaged structures several times which are related to fluvial events in the past on Mars.
May 28th, 2004
A bungled report into the failure of a Mars lander The Economist
If a neat line were ever to be drawn under the failure of Beagle 2, a British spacecraft, to arrive safely on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, an independent and transparent investigation was needed. By its own admission, then, the European Space Agency (ESA) has failed to deliver. Six of the nine people who put the report together are existing or past ESA staff members. And, except for a list of recommendations, the report is to remain secret
May 24th, 2004
UK Govt and ESA Keep Beagle 2 Failure Report Secret
The public may never be told why Britain’s first Martian probe – Beagle 2 – disappeared last Christmas as it was about to land on Mars. Investigators have not been able to pinpoint a single failure or shortcoming of the $90 million probe, reporters were told at a London news conference Monday.
May 23rd, 2004
Beagle 2 mission was doomed long before take-off, claims inquiry The Daily Telegraph
The Beagle 2 mission to Mars was a disaster waiting to happen, according to the official inquiry into the debacle, whose findings will be made public tomorrow. Hailed as Britain’s first probe to another planet, Beagle 2 was supposed to have touched down on the Red Planet on Christmas Day last year and perform experiments to detect signs of alien life. Instead, all contact was lost with the probe just before it was due to land. It is now presumed to have been destroyed on impact.
May 18th, 2004
Mars money doesn’t have to be repaid Cambridge News
Claims that Professor Colin Pillinger may be forced to pay back some of the
May 10th, 2004
Image reveals Mars’ active past BCC
Europe’s Mars Express probe has sent back detailed images of a region of the Red Planet that was shaped by intensive continental plate activity. Continental plate, or tectonic, activity is responsible on Earth for continental drift, the formation of ocean basins and earthquakes. These tectonic forces are believed to have since ceased on the Red Planet.
May 3rd, 2004
Interview with Beagle 2 Scientist Astrobiology Magazine
Beagle 2 Chief Scientist, Colin Pillinger, talks with Astrobiology Magazine about mission planning for the surface lander and how one might try to detect life using a robotic explorer.
April 28th, 2004
Mars probe radar search postponed
Scientists have delayed the deployment of a radar on Europe’s Mars Express probe, which is currently in orbit around the Red Planet. The decision was made after new data suggested the 40m-long antenna could swing with a greater range of motion than expected after it opened up. This led to concerns that the device could swing back and hit Mars Express.