Beagle 2, the British space probe which disappeared as it descended toward Mars, may have been detected on the surface of the Red Planet, scientists said on Monday. No signal has been received from the craft since it was due to land on Christmas Day last year, despite various attempts by Mars orbiters and telescopes on Earth to make contact. But photographic images of the area where Beagle 2 was to have come down show four bright spots, dubbed a “string of pearls” by scientists, which may be the remains of the probe.
Former Astronaut Glenn Criticizes Bush Space Plan
U.S. space pioneer John Glenn said on Thursday that President Bush’s space exploration plan “pulls the rug out from under our scientists” and might waste too much money to ever put astronauts on Mars. Glenn, a retired Democratic senator from Ohio and the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, said NASA should not abandon research on the International Space Station and questioned the advisability of using the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
No ‘Showstoppers’ for Humans on Mars, Experts Say
Experts in the effects of space travel on the human body told a presidential commission on Wednesday that there were challenges but no “showstoppers” in building a permanent moon base, then sending astronauts to Mars. Aerospace medical experts Stanley Mohler and Mary Ann Frey, both longtime researchers in the field, identified a number of health risks future astronauts could face, from radiation poisoning to meteoroid collisions, but said NASA was developing plans for every known contingency.
Power Drain Threatening Mars Rover Lifespan
Engineers must replace software in the Mars rover Opportunity to stop a power-draining malfunction that could cut short the robot geologist’s life on the Red Planet, a NASA official said on Wednesday. A switch that operates an onboard heater has been stuck in the “on” position since shortly after the golf cart-sized rover landed at the Meridiani Planum near Mars’ equator on Jan. 24, 2004.
Mars Rover Discoveries Point to Planet’s Origins
NASA scientists are excitedly speculating that discoveries made by a Mars rover over the weekend will help them finally unravel whether water played a role in the Red Planet’s geologic history, a science team member said on Monday. Scientists were poring over data and microscopic images returned to Earth by the rover Opportunity, which spent the weekend examining a multilayered rock nicknamed El Capitan embedded in the side of the small crater where Opportunity landed on Jan. 24.
Europe Joins the Race to Put a Man on Mars
A European could step out onto the surface of Mars within three decades, under European Space Agency (ESA) plans spelled out on Tuesday. The plans are more precise than the broad U.S. goals of sending a man back to the moon by 2020 and to Mars by 2030, revealed last month by President Bush. “We think it is technically feasible to have a manned mission to the moon between 2020 and 2025 and then to Mars between 2030 and 2035,” said Franco Ongaro, project manager of the ESA’s fledgling Aurora space exploration program.
U.N. Wants Rules for Bioprospecting in Antarctica
The United Nations said on Sunday rules were needed to prevent a free-for-all search for unique Antarctic organisms that can be used for pharmaceutical and other commercial purposes. “Bioprospectors are starting to turn their attention to many of the world’s last frontiers, such as hydrothermal vents, the deep seabed, the water column of the high seas and polar ice caps,” said a report by UN University, headquartered in Tokyo.
Spirit Restored; Opportunity Set to Roll Onto Mars
The Mars rover Spirit appeared on Friday to have returned to normal operations about 10 days after it was crippled by a problem with its computer memory, the mission’s chief flight software engineer said. Glenn Reeves said Spirit’s apparent return to good health came after engineers deleted about 1,700 non-essential files from the rover’s computers and rebooted it in “normal mode.”
Russia Space Boss Slams U.S. Mars Plans
Russia’s top space official on Thursday slammed as unrealistic U.S. plans for manned missions to Mars and said the emphasis for space exploration should be completion of the International Space Station (ISS). Yuri Koptev, head of Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos, distanced himself from President Vladimir Putin’s comments this week that Russia could work with the United States on President Bush’s ambitious plans.
NASA Says Second Mars Rover Experiencing Problems
As NASA scientists pored over striking new photos from Mars revealing finely layered formations of ancient bedrock, engineers labored on Tuesday to diagnose problems with two robotic rovers on opposite sides of the Red Planet. Besides a serious malfunction that has idled the first rover, Spirit, since last Wednesday, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said they are now contending with a power drain on Spirit’s newly arrived twin, Opportunity.