How Do You Answer the Life on Mars Question? Use Multiple Small Landers Like Beagle 2To address one of the most important questions in planetary science Is there life on Mars? The scientific community must turn to less costly means of exploring the surface of the Red Planet. The United Kingdom's Beagle 2 Mars lander concept was a small meter-size lander with a scientific payload constituting a large proportion of the flown mass designed to supply answers to the question about life on Mars. A possible reason why Beagle 2 did not send any data was that it was a one-off attempt to land. As Steve Squyres said at the time: "It's difficult to land on Mars - if you want to succeed you have to send two of everything".
Document ID
20120015954
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Extended Abstract
Authors
Gibson, Everett K. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Pillinger, C. T. (Open Univ. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)
Wright, I. P. (Open Univ. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)
Hurst, S. J. (EADS Astrium Ltd. Stevenage, United Kingdom)
Richter, L. (Kayser Threde G.m.b.H. Munich, Germany)