05/01/2004

Scientists hopeful of contacting Beagle

As the Mars Express orbiter nears its final low orbit trajectory around Mars, Wednesday January 7 marks what is considered to be the final chance to establish contact with the Beagle 2 lander.

The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed last night that the initial manoeuvre involving a five-minute main engine burn to place the orbiter into a low orbit with a closest planetary approach of 300 km had been successful.

The orbiter will be able to perform its mission despite the failure to contact the lander module. The orbiter has a high resolution stereo camera (HRSC) array that will be used to produce detailed maps of the planet's suface and the MARSIS ground penetrating radar will probe deep beneath the red planet's surface.

At around 13.15 CET on Wednesday, the 'mothership' orbiter will be at its closest point to the area where its silent 'baby' Beagle 2 is thought to have landed. ESA said that the relatively short range UHF communications system between the two craft is the only "end to end tested" system in use and have not given up hopes of contacting or at least locating the lander.

Mars Express Project Manager Dr Rudolf Schmidt said: “At this precise time, our Mars Express orbiter is in both an ideal flight path and an ideal communication configuration, right on top of the Beagle 2 landing area, at about 86 degrees. In this situation, we should be able to discern the slightest beep on the Martian surface.”

The ESA also congratulated their American counterparts at NASA MER team on the successful touchdown of the 'Spirit' lander.

(SP)

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