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Paris, 30 May 2003
Information Note
Nx 12-2003

Mars Express - how to be fastest to the Red Planet

Part 2 of 2

Approaching Mars, the orbiter will eject the lander and then be left
on a collision course with the planet. In another key manoeuvre,
ground controllers will have to adjust its trajectory, reducing its
speed to 1.8 kilometres per second. At that speed, the planet's
gravity will be able to 'capture' the Mars Express orbiter and put it
into Mars orbit. Ground controllers will still have to perform
several manoeuvres to get the spacecraft into its final operational
state - a highly elliptical polar orbit - from where the scientific
observations can begin. 

In the meantime, Beagle 2 will have landed on Mars. The landing area
covers a large ellipsis, 300 kilometres long and 150 kilometres wide,
on an equatorial region called Isidis Planitia. It was chosen in the
light of the strong Martian winds and the relatively smooth surface
of the site. The lander will deploy parachutes, and then large
gas-filled bags will protect it as it bounces to a halt on the
surface. Once landed, Beagle 2 will emit a 'beep', a signal that will
tell operators at the United Kingdom's Jodrell Bank radio telescope
station that it has touched down safely.  This 9-note call sign was
composed for the Beagle-2 team by the British pop group, Blur.

Mars Express will investigate the Martian surface, subsurface, and
atmosphere for at least two years. The lander will operate on the
surface for about six Earth months, relaying its data to Earth
through the orbiter.

Mars Express will help answer fundamental questions about Mars, such
as the presence and quantity of water, and possible signs of present
or past life. In the worldwide effort to explore the Red Planet in
recent years, the European Mars Express mission represents the most
thorough investigation of Mars attempted so far.

For further information please contact:

ESA - Communication Department
Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690

For more information about the Mars Express mission and launch
campaign visit:
http://www.esa.int/marsexpresslaunch 

Live images of the Mars Express spacecraft are available at:
http://sci2.esa.int/spacecam/marsexpress.htm

For more information about the ESA science programme, visit:
http://sci.esa.int

For more information about ESA visit:
http://www.esa.int

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