The British space probe Beagle 2, whose mission was dubbed at one point as a “heroic failure”, turned into “a great success” on Friday when it was found on Mars, 11 years after getting lost (scroll down for video).
Beagle 2, was part of Mars Express mission of the European Space Agency for the discovery of extraterrestrial life, and supposed to land on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, but went missing on December 19, 2003. And until now, none knew anything about it.
“Beagle 2 is not lost anymore,” said David Parker, executive director of the British Space Agency.
Parker said that some recent images obtained from HiRISE camera of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are “strong evidence” that the probe landed on scheduled to do so – December 25, 2003 – but the procedure developed only partially.
“The entry, descending and landing sequences of Beagle 2 worked properly and the probe successfully reached Mars on Christmas Day 2003,” the British Space Agency announced in a press statement.
Beagle 2 Lander is about 2 meters in dimension and was named after the ship which carried Charles Darwin when he formulated the theory of evolution. The probe was built by a team of British researchers led by Colin Pillinger. Its costs are estimated at 50 million pounds (85 million dollars).
The mission aimed at delivering data from Mars surface with help from instruments designed to search for signs of life.
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“We have been left with a mystery, a mystery that has continued until today”, said Parker.
Beagle 2 mission manager Mark Sims of Leicester University, said that although the probe has not been able to carry out the task of transmitting data from Mars, it managed to reach the target by landing and inspiring scientists: “In overall, I’d say that Beagle 2 was a huge success,” added Sims.
Last year, the Royal Astronomer of Great Britain, Martin Rees, praised Beagle 2 probe and its eccentric creator Colin Pillinger, who died at the age of 70, saying: “It was a failure , but a heroic failure”.
Mark Sims pointed out that the discovery is exciting but also frustrating because Pillinger did not live to witness this moment.
Asked if he has any idea what went wrong with Beagle, Sims said, “Most likely, it was an unfortunate scenario – a hard Mars landing.”
Video: Beagle 2 spacecraft found on Mars, located by NASA orbiter