In article ,
MSu1049321 wrote:
Software/programming failure akin to MCO, landing outside predicted area or
munged Mars atmospheric entry and burnup.
Lander never inserted for entry in right position and skipped out of
atmosphere, returned and burned or /and landed somewhere completely different.

Note that Beagle 2 had no independent maneuvering capability. It was
dropped off on its entry trajectory by Mars Express, which is not having
any obvious navigation problems.

There are any number of things it could have been, but to my mind the
likeliest by far is airbag problems -- poor deployment, leaks, punctured
by rocks, worked fine but just didn't cushion the impact enough, etc. --
leading to a crash.
--
MOST launched 30 June; science observations running | Henry Spencer
since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending. |