BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Beagle 2 - Lost and Found *new*

On Christmas Day 2003 Mars probe Beagle 2 was set to land on the red planet. It was one of the stories I told in my article Christmas in the Skies.

This little probe was a British production, led by Professor Colin Pillinger, a larger-than-life character and very keen space scientist. He and the probe (named for the Beagle on which Charles Darwin sailed) had a large popular following. A well known British pop group provided the call sign for the probe, and artist Damien Hirst designed its color calibration chart. Schoolchildren were enthusiastic fans.

So there was widespread gloom when nothing was ever heard from Beagle. In February 2004 it was officially given up for lost. Until now. In pictures taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Beagle has been located. It doesn't appear that it did crash and break up, but that it failed fully to open. Therefore it's antenna couldn't be extended and no communication was possible.

Sadly, Colin Pillinger died last May without ever knowing the fate of his great endeavor.

On Christmas day 2003 a British-European space probe called Beagle 2 was lost on Mars and never heard from. It was not only small, but possibly broken and scattered while attempting to land. Since Mars is quite big, it took eleven years to find the little lander, and there were some surprises.

Beagle 2 – Lost and Found