It’s been nine days since the European Space Agency’s Beagle 2 is believed to have passed through the Martian atmosphere and landed on the surface, but so far it hasn’t uttered so much as a tentative yelp. Although the dozen or so attempts through NASA’s Mars Odyssey and the Jodrell Bank radio observatory in England have failed to pick up any sound from Beagle, ESA scientists are not ready to give up hope yet. At this point, the “most likely scenario” for making contact will be next Wednesday, on January 7, at 1:13 p.m. Central European TIME (CET) [12:13 Greenwich Mean Time], Mars Express Project Scientist Agustin Chicarro told reporters yesterday in a press conference hosted by The Planetary Society at its headquarters in Pasadena, California.
The Search Continues for Beagle 2 The Planetary Society
With Mars Express safely in orbit around the Red Planet, all ears are turned towards the Martian surface in an effort to detect a signal from Beagle 2, the United Kingdom
Wild About Mars The Planetary Society
On January 3, 2004 (Pacific Standard Time) Spirit, the first of two NASA Mars Exploration Rovers will bounce down on Mars and begin an amazing adventure. This historic event happens just one day after Stardust flies through comet Wild 2 to collect samples to return to Earth. What a remarkable weekend of space exploration! The Planetary Society invites you to join Buzz Aldrin, Ray Bradbury, Bill Nye the Science Guy, JPL mission scientists, and fellow space enthusiasts to witness Spirit’s Landing LIVE and celebrate Stardust’s encounter.
The Planetary Society Completes Faxing Campaign to White House. The Planetary Society
On November 10 of this year, The Planetary Society launched a faxing campaign aimed at the President of the United States with a clear purpose in mind: to urge the President to set a human mission to Mars as NASA’s primary goal in the coming decades. Since then, thousands of messages have been sent to the White House from our friends and supporters. We thank all of you who took part in this campaign. The effort continues. The Society’s grassroots campaign was planned to coincide with a general review of space policy that is currently taking place in the White House. That review is nearly complete, and the President is expected to issue a directive to NASA soon, outlining the goals of the American space program for the coming years. At this critical juncture, it was crucial that the Society and its supporters raise their voices in support of a strong commitment for the human exploration of Mars.
Solar Storms Rock Missions to Mars: Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Express, Beagle 2, and Nozomi Move in on Mars The Planetary Society
The record-setting solar storms that rained through the atmosphere earlier this month appear to have rocked both the American and European spacecraft en route to Mars, causing some temporary set-backs but no lasting damage. Japan’s first mission to another planet, Nozomi, on the other hand, which suffered a crippling problem from a solar flare in 2002 seemed this time around to suffer more from a storm of exaggerated reporting than a flare from the Sun.
Mars landers create opportunity for Web-linked sundials around the world The Planetary Society
Herbert Hoover reputedly wanted a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot. Woodruff Sullivan would settle for a sundial in every backyard. Sullivan, a University of Washington astronomy professor, is teaming up with television personality Bill Nye, “the science guy,” and The Planetary Society on EarthDial, a project to get schools, community organizations and individuals around the world to build their own sundials and display them on the Internet using 24-hour webcams.
The Planetary Society Goes “WILD ABOUT MARS” The Planetary Society
On January 3-4, 2004, The Planetary Society will host “WILD ABOUT MARS” at the Pasadena Convention Center, featuring special guests and “live” images from Mars during NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission. Spirit will be the first of the two Mars Exploration Rovers (the other being Opportunity) to touch down on the Red Planet. The rover will bounce onto the Martian landscape and start an exciting new era of exploration. This historic event happens only one day after Stardust travels through Comet Wild 2 to collect samples for Earth return. Both missions will be celebrated at the “WILD ABOUT MARS” event.
Nozomi on Course — Not to Hit Mars The Planetary Society
News reports that Nozomi — Japan’s first mission to another planet — is on course to crash into Mars have been exaggerated. The probability of Japan’s first Mars mission hitting the Red Planet even without the planned trajectory corrections, which are standard operating procedures on all missions, is 1%, according to Hajime Hayakawa, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Help Ray Bradbury Celebrate a Martian Birthday The Planetary Society
Ray Bradbury, the celebrated science fiction author, has taken millions of people on imaginative journeys to Mars through his work for over half a century. Now Mars is coming to Bradbury, so to speak, when the planet draws closer to Earth than it has been in over 50,000 years. To celebrate the opposition of Mars on August 27 and Bradbury’s 83rd birthday on August 22, The Planetary Society is gathering birthday greetings from well-wishers around the world to present to Bradbury in a giant birthday card. Anyone can join in sending these greetings by visiting The Planetary Society
Phoenix to Fly to Mars in 2007 The Planetary Society
NASA announced today that Phoenix, a mission proposed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, will be the first Scout mission to Mars. Phoenix is a robotic lander designed to search for signs of water on the Red Planet. The spacecraft, which will launch for Mars in 2007, beat out three other proposed missions in NASA’s Scout competition.