14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists are happy to announce that, after being lost on the Red Planet for over a decade, the Beagle 2 spacecraft was finally found with the help of images obtained by the HiRESE camera fitted on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
As it turns out, this robotic Mars explorer really did manage to land on its target planet many years ago. Otherwise put, the mission was a success. Still, it took scientists quite a while to figure this out and give each other a well-deserved pat on the back.
This lander's story is kind of a tear-jerker
The Beagle 2 Mars lander left our planet on June 2, 2003, when it was sent into space atop a rocket that took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. In case anyone was wondering, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is the first and largest operational space launch facility in the world.
The Beagle 2 spacecraft reached its target planet on December 25, 2003. The thing is that, on that very same day, scientists lost all contact with it. Hence, it remained a mystery whether the lander made it on the surface of the Red Planet or was maybe kidnapped by angry Martians.
Researchers spent some time trying to get back in touch with it, but eventually gave up. Come February 2004, the scientists at the European Space Station had no choice but declare the mission lost. For years and years, the Beagle 2 spacecraft's location remained a mystery.
How the Mars lander was found
Ever since NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached the Red Planet in March 2006, its HiRESE camera has been snapping images of the Beagle 2 spacecraft's expected landing site whenever passing over it. This area of interest is an impact crater dubbed Isidis Planitia and located close to the equator.
Apparently, some of these images show the lander resting on the surface of Mars. What's more, evidence indicates that, rather than simply smashing into the Red Planet, the Beagle 2 spacecraft actually managed to make a smooth landing on December 25, 2003.
Thus, researchers say that some of the images show the parachute that the lander relied on to position itself on the surface of Mars and others show the solar panels that were supposed to keep it up and running. It is believed that the lander lost contact with Earth because its solar panels failed to properly deploy.
Commenting on the discovery of this long-lost lander on the surface of Mars, David Parker with the UK Space Agency said, “The history of space exploration is marked by both success and failure. This finding makes the case that Beagle 2 was more of a success than we previously knew and undoubtedly an important step in Europe’s continuing exploration of Mars.”
