Going to Mars for Christmas (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

13 November 2003

Going to Mars for Christmas

Europe's mission to the Red Planet, Mars Express, is on schedule to arrive at
the planet on Christmas Day, 2003.

The lander, Beagle 2, is due to descend through the Martian atmosphere and touch
down also on 25 December.

Mars Express is now within 20 million kilometres of the Red Planet and the next
mission milestone comes on 19 December, when Mars Express will release Beagle 2.
The orbiter spacecraft will send Beagle 2 spinning towards the planet on a
precise trajectory.

Into orbit

Beagle has no propulsion system of its own, so it relies on correct aiming by
the orbiter to find its way to the planned landing site, a flat basin in the low
northern latitudes of Mars.

ESA engineers will then fire the orbiter's main engine in the early hours of 25
December to put Mars Express into orbit around Mars (called Mars Orbit
Insertion, or MOI).

Landing

When Beagle 2 begins its descent, it will be slowed by friction with the Martian
atmosphere. Nearer to the surface, parachutes will deploy and large gas-filled
bags will inflate to cushion the final touchdown. Beagle 2 should bounce to a
halt on Martian soil early on Christmas morning.

The first day on Mars is important for the lander because it has only a few
hours to collect enough sunlight with its solar panels to recharge its battery.

Waiting for signal

We then have to wait for the radio 'life' signal from Beagle 2, relayed through
the US Mars Odyssey spacecraft, to see if the probe has survived the landing.
This could take hours or even days.

If nothing is received on Christmas morning, the UK Jodrell Bank Telescope will
search for the faint radio signal from Beagle 2 in the evening. The Mars Express
orbiter can also search for the lander but, because of its orbit, it will not be
in place to do this until early January.

If all goes well, Mars Express and Beagle 2 will then begin their main mission
-- trying to answer the questions of whether there has been water, and possibly
life, on Mars.

More about ...

* Mars Express overview
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/120379_index_0_m.html
* Types of orbit
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMU4QS1VED_index_0.html
* Europe goes to Mars
http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/M...ess/index.html

Related articles

* What is a 'launch window'?
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMO49YO4HD_index_0.html
* Interplanetary trajectories
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM8USS1VED_index_0.html
* The search for life
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMAGE1P4HD_exploring_0.html
* Mars Express has the sophisticated science to find the water ice on Mars
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Exp...2TG18ZC_0.html

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Exp...2XLDMD_1.html]
Mars Express is the first flexible mission in the revised ESA long-term
scientific programme which was launched towards Mars in June 2003 with a
Soyuz/Fregat launcher.

Credits: ESA-D. Ducros