Beagle 2, the pioneering Mars lander that is being developed now by the European Space Agency, is to be put together prior to takeoff for the Red Planet at the assembly and testing block at Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian Aerospace Agency (Rosaviakosmos) disclosed Tuesday. “Mars-bound Mars Express probe carrying that lander is scheduled to be launched in May/June 2003 with the aid of the Russian Soyuz FG launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome,” the space agency clarified. “The probe’s landing on the Red Planet is scheduled for the end of next year,” Rosaviakosmos added.
July 31st, 2002
Work Starts On Assembling Beagle 2
A joint UK and European mission to find evidence of life on Mars took another giant leap forward this week when engineers started assembling the Beagle 2 lander. The build is being carried out in a specially constructed Aseptic Assembly Facility at the Open University, in Milton Keynes.
July 25th, 2002
Green light for Red Planet
In May next year, Europe will embark on its first mission to explore the Red Planet. The stakes are high – Mars Express aims to detect water under the Martian soil and look for signs of life, living or dead. With a 167m euro price tag, for the space craft alone, scientists cannot afford to make mistakes. The European Space Agency is beginning a barrage of final tests to qualify its craft to enter space. The manager of the assembly and testing phase of the mission, Don McCoy, says a crucial milestone was reached this week.
July 24th, 2002
A little bit of Ferrari takes off to the Red Planet!
What is the fastest Ferrari’s distinctive red paint has ever travelled? Next year it will be 10,800 km/h! Mars Express, to be launched in May/June 2003, the first European spacecraft to visit the Red Planet, will be speeding on its way accompanied by the very essence of Ferrari: a sample of its distinctive red paint.
July 23rd, 2002
Mars lander takes shape
Final assembly work on the British-designed Mars lander, Beagle 2, has begun. The craft is being assembled at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. “It’s a momentous day because you’re starting with the building of something you know will eventually end up on Mars,” the OU’s Professor Colin Pillinger told BBC News Online at the Farnborough International Air Show. Beagle 2 will hitch a ride on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express.
July 5th, 2002
Winds hamper Martian landing
Bad weather on Mars could force a detour for the British-led effort to land on the planet. Scientists want to change the point of touchdown of the Beagle 2 craft to reduce the risk of a crash landing. Evidence has emerged of strong gusts of wind on the Martian surface in the landing zone, a giant basin north of the planet’s equator.
July 4th, 2002
And Now The Weather … On Mars!
The climate models formulated by ESA scientists show us the pattern of the storms throughout the Martian year, but the mystery remains why some years are dustier than others. Mars Express, the ESA mission to the Red Planet that is due to arrive in December 2003, will be sending back data that could help us solve this mystery and perfect our weather maps of Mars. The mission has been timed to arrive at Mars at the end of the Martian winter in the northern hemisphere, making it highly unlikely that there is a dust storm at the time of arrival.
June 5th, 2002
Putting Mars On The Desk
Scientists at the University of Leicester’s Space Research Centre are recreating the hostile environment found on Mars in their laboratory, with a device known as the Martian Environment Simulator (MES). The machine reproduces the temperature, air pressure and unbreathable atmosphere known to exist on Mars. The MES is currently being used to test equipment on the Beagle 2 lander, part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Spacecraft and due to arrive on Mars during Christmas 2003.
June 3rd, 2002
Beagle 2 Gets Welcome Donation For Critical Instrument Payload
The Wellcome Trust biomedical research charity has agreed to help finance the mass spectrometer which is central to Beagle 2 and is being pioneered by the group at the Open University led by Beagle 2 Lead Scientist Professor Colin Pillinger. The Trust is providing
May 31st, 2002
UK Scientists Recreate Martian Environment
British researchers have recreated the hostile Martian atmosphere in a box the size of a desktop computer, in order to help test equipment for an upcoming mission to the red planet. Scientists from Leicester University have reproduced the low temperature, pressure, and unbreathable atmosphere found on the planet to put the Beagle 2 landing craft through its paces before it leaves to search for signs of life on Mars next May. “We are emulating the environmental conditions on Mars,” Derek Pullan, Instrument Manager for the Beagle 2 project, told Reuters on Thursday. “It is important to test the instruments and see if they can accurately function on the surface.”