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European Space Agency

Press Release

Media invitation from PPARC: The science of Mars Express and Beagle 2

9 April 2003

Part 2 of 2

The Beagle 2 lander will:

    * Determine the geology and the mineral and chemical composition
      of the landing site
    * Search for life signatures (exobiology) 
    * Study the weather and climate 
    * Launch and flight

Mars Express will be launched by a Soyuz-Fregat launcher from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in June 2003. At this time the
position of the two planets make for the shortest possible route, a
condition that occurs once every twenty-six months. It will take the
spacecraft six months to reach the Red Planet.

Five days before arrival in December 2003 Mars Express will eject the
Beagle 2 lander, which will make its way to the correct landing site
on the surface. Mars Express will remain in orbit around Mars for one
Martian year (687 Earth Days). During this time, the point of orbit
closest to Mars will move around to give the scientific instruments
coverage of the entire Martian surface at all kinds of viewing
angles. 


Beagle entry, descent and landing
 
Beagle 2 will descend to the surface, entering the atmosphere at more
than 20,000 km/h. When its speed has fallen to 1600 km/h, parachutes
will deploy to slow it further. Finally, large gas-filled bags will
inflate to protect it as it bounces to a halt on the landing site.
Once still, its solar panels will open out and the cameras will start
to take in the view. After a couple of days the detailed rock and
soil analyses will begin, carried out by the instruments mounted on
the Position Adjustable Workbench (PAW). 

UK Science Involvement

Whilst Mars Express is a pan European project, the UK plays a
significant role in both the orbiter and the lander. The orbiter
alone has 7 instruments on it of which UK scientists are involved in
the development of 3: 

    * ASPERA, the energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser (Mullard Space
      Science Laboratory and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory)

    * HRSC, the High Resolution Stereo Colour Imager (University
      College, London and the Open University)

    * MARSIS, the subsurface Sounding Radar/Altimeter (University
      College London, Queen Mary and Westfield College and University
      of Bristol) 

The UK plays the lead role in the development of Beagle 2, the lander
element. Consortium leader Professor Colin Pillinger of the Open
University heads up the team, which also involves scientists from the
University of Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

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