Where is Beagle 2? The search continues (Forwarded)

Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
Swindon, U.K.

Contacts:

Prof Colin Pillinger
The Open University
Tel: +44 1908 655 169

Peter Barratt
PPARC Head of Communications
Tel: +44 1793 442 094

16 February 2007

Where is Beagle 2? The search continues

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft has used its onboard
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) to take a
colour image of a region of Mars in the vicinity of the intended landing
site of Beagle 2.

Included in the image is new coverage of the crater H2O which was
considered by the Beagle 2 team as unique in the area that had been
searched for evidence of the missing Lander. Beagle 2 was targeted to land
in an ellipse approximately 50km x 10km in size.

The new image does not show any features inside the crater that can be
reconciled with peculiarities (i.e. possible components of the entry
descent and landing system) encountered in the two previous lower
resolution images taken soon after Beagle 2 was due to arrive on Mars in
December 2003. The previous images were captured by the Mars Orbiter
Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.

Commenting on the latest image, Prof Colin Pillinger of the Open
University and lead scientist for Beagle 2, said: "Of course this is
disappointing. We had hoped that the HiRISE camera would clarify the
oddities we had seen in the crater but this is not the case. Nevertheless,
I am extremely grateful to the camera team at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory and the University of Arizona for trying and congratulate them
on the exceptional quality of the images. I remain optimistic that future
images may yet show us where Beagle 2 finally came to rest."

About PPARC,
http://www.pparc.ac.uk/ap/intro.asp

Notes for Editors

Image and caption:
[http://www.pparc.ac.uk/nw/mro_crater.jpg (163KB)]
H20 crater. Credit: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Andrew Yee (or somebody else of the same name) wrote thusly in message
:

Where is Beagle 2? The search continues

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft has used its onboard
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) to take a
colour image of a region of Mars in the vicinity of the intended landing
site of Beagle 2.

Any thoughts on the rumour that the CIA got at it since it was a foreign
device that was due to reach Mars before the American landers? Can't have
them g****m Brits getting to Mars first now can we!
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Contains moderate language. Always read the label. Keep out of children.

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