Photo May Lead to Cause Of Craft's Demise
European scientists
said Monday they are examining an image of its Beagle 2 Mars
lander, taken moments after it separated from its mothership and
later was lost, that also shows an unidentified object. The
mysterious blot on the photograph is being scrutinized as one of
several potential reasons for the failure of the mission —
Europe's first attempt to land a probe on the Red Planet.
Mission controllers said they were also considering the
possibility that Beagle 2 simply crashed onto the surface of Mars
because its atmosphere was less dense than expected. Scientists
said they are examining photographs of the landing site that show
four bright spots, dubbed the "string of pearls," that might be the
remains of Beagle 2. Beagle 2 has not been heard from since it was
ejected from the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter in
mid-December. The 143-pound probe did not respond to scheduled
attempts to contact it on Dec. 25 and has remained silent ever
since. Mission controllers admitted defeat last month after
repeated attempts at communication and last-ditch changes to
programming.
Mark Sims, Beagle 2 mission manager, showed fellow scientists an
image of the lander as it spun away from Mars Express, depicting
both a bright spot in the shade of the side of the lander and an
entirely separate object. Sims said the image was still being
analyzed to determine whether the marks are significant or simply a
result of the imaging process.
"The bright object and the glint on the side of Beagle 2 may be
nothing, they may be everything," Sims said. Sims added that the
"string of pearls" images may also simply show artifacts of the
imaging process.
One theory about the
missing probe gaining credence is that Mars' atmosphere was not as
dense as expected — so Beagle 2 may simply have been going
too fast for its parachute and air bags to ensure a soft landing.
That idea is supported by evidence from NASA, which also reported a
less-dense atmosphere than expected on the entry of its first
rover, Spirit, on Jan. 3. NASA succeeded in getting its vehicle
down safely because of Spirit's multiple chutes and robust air bag
system.
Both the U.S. and European missions were devised to look for
geologic evidence that Mars was once a wetter place that might have
been hospitable to life. While the NASA mission was aimed entirely
at landing Spirit and its companion, Opportunity, on Mars, the
British-built Beagle 2 was not the focus of the ESA's mission.
Instead, it was to get its Mars Express into orbit around the
planet.
"The first lesson we can learn is that landing on Mars is
difficult enough if you have a dedicated mission," said Colin
Pillinger, the lead scientist on the expedition. "It's even more
difficult if you have a mission where you are a hitchhiker on
someone else's ride."
Beagle 2 controllers had little choice about the timing or
location of the probe's descent onto Mars. Both were determined by
the trajectory of Mars Express. Images of the landing site have
revealed that there were more hazards in the area — including
craters and dust storms — than anticipated. There were also
huge funding differences between the European and British projects.
NASA's cost $820 million, while the ESA joint project cost just
over $370 million. Pillinger is already searching for more funds
and sponsorship for a revival of Beagle 2. He wants another mission
sending more than one probe to Mars as early as 2007.