{"id":16666,"date":"2015-01-16T23:16:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T15:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/lost-beagle-2-spacecraft-found-on-mars\/"},"modified":"2015-01-16T23:16:05","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T15:16:05","slug":"lost-beagle-2-spacecraft-found-on-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/lost-beagle-2-spacecraft-found-on-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Beagle 2 spacecraft found on Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image: HiRISE\/NASA\/University of Leicester.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The UK\u2019s Beagle 2 mission to Mars, which was lost in Christmas week 2003 during the final stages of its voyage to the red planet, has been rediscovered by NASA\u2019s eagle eye in the Martian sky, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).<\/p>\n

The lander has been identified as being partially deployed in an area of Mars called Isidis Planitia, a four-billion year old impact basin near the planet\u2019s equator. The readily identifiable shape of at least two of its four solar panels unfurled, plus its base and lid looking a bit like a flower with petals, is visible in the images from MRO\u2019s high resolution HiRISE camera.<\/p>\n

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A close up of Beagle 2 on the Martian surface, showing what appears to be several solar panels unfurled, Image: HiRISE\/NASA\/JPL\/David Parker\/University of Leicester.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lander was first spotted by Michael Croon, a former member of ESA\u2019s Mars Express operations team, in images taken by MRO in 2013. Croon alerted the Beagle 2 team in the UK and, after analysis and processing of further images, a team led by Professor Mark Sims of the University of Leicester, who was part of the original Beagle 2 team back in 2003, today revealed the images that help vindicate the mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall I would personally say that Beagle 2 was a great success,\u201d says Sims. \u201cThe images prove that it was the first European controlled landing on another planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what happened? Sims says that we cannot be sure yet from the images, which are fairly low resolution \u2013 HiRISE has a resolution of 30cm per pixel, and a fully opened up Beagle 2 would cover an area of just 1.9 x 1.6 metres.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an amazingly long list of reasons [why Beagle 2 did not deploy fully],\u201d says Sims \u201cWhatever happened, it looks to have been just bad luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been many theories over the years about what happened to Beagle 2. One possibility was that dust storms on Mars could have warmed the atmosphere, causing it to expand, meaning the parachutes could not function as planned and Beagle 2 would hit the surface too hard. Other scenarios included a leak in Beagle 2\u2019s air bags that would have otherwise cushioned its landing, its backshell tangling with its parachute when it detached, or becoming tangled up in its parachute or airbags upon landing. Either way, without all its solar panels unfurled, its antenna could not deploy and communicate to scientists on Earth. Instead it just sat there, waiting for commands from Earth that never came, until it lost power.<\/p>\n

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Also possibly identified in the images are Beagle 2\u2019s parachute and rear shell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The images show not just the lander, but also what appear to be its rear shell, with the pilot chute still attached and blowing in the Martian breeze, and its main parachutes. The lander stands out because of its highly reflective solar panels, the glint from which is seen changing with the angle of the Sun, while its low stature casts no shadows. The airbags are more difficult to spot, being of a similar red hue to the surface.<\/p>\n