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Beagle 2: Seeking the Signatures of Life on MarsBeagle 2 is a 60 kg probe (with a 30 kg lander) developed in the United Kingdom for inclusion on the European Space Agency s 2003 Mars Express. Beagle 2 will deliver to the Martian surface a payload which consists of a high percentage of science instruments to landed spacecraft mass. Beagle 2 will be launched in June 2003 with Mars Express on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Beagle 2 will land on Mars in December 2003 in Isidis Planitia (approx. 11.5 deg.N and 275 deg.W), a large sedimentary basin that overlies the boundary between ancient highlands and northern plains. Isidis Planitia, the third largest basin on Mars, which is possibly filled with sediment deposited at the bottom of long-standing lakes or seas, offers an ideal environment for preserving traces of life. Beagle 2 is completed and undergoing integration with the Mars Express orbiter prior to launch.
Document ID
20030066724
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Everette K Gibson Jr.
(Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, United States)
Colin T Pillinger
(The Open University)
Ian P Wright
(The Open University)
Andy Morse
(The Open University)
Jenny Stewart
(The Open University)
G Morgan
(The Open University)
Ian Praine
(The Open University)
Dennis Leigh
(The Open University)
Mark R Sims
(University of Leicester Leicester, United Kingdom)
Derek Pullan
(University of Leicester Leicester, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
July 25, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Sixth International Conference on Mars
Publisher: LPI
Subject Category
Exobiology
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-8093
3005
Meeting Information
Meeting: Sixth International Conference on Mars
Location: Pasadena, CA
Country: US
Start Date: July 20, 2003
End Date: July 25, 2003
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Institute
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC5-679
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Portions of document may include copyright protected material.
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