On Friday, 16 January 2015 13:50:26 UTC-5, Martin Brown wrote:
On 16/01/2015 18:18, wrote:
On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 11:54:28 AM UTC-5, RichA wrote:

Sigh. A problem easily avoided by using a small, portable nuclear power supply.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/16/world/...und/index.html

It was all done on a shoestring budget. That it soft landed without
being smashed to smithereens was a serious achievement. It is a shame
that Prof Pillinger didn't live to see that it had arrived on Mars.

Oh! Another probe that accomplished something, like the comet-lander...only to be DONE IN by ridiculous solar power. The problem with the Beagle was its configuration. It is INSANE to have expected such a complex solar panel configuration to have unfolded properly.