The Dream Is Over?

It looks more and more like the ESA Mars lander "Beagle 2" has been lost for good. Beagle's mothership, Mars Express, continues to orbit the Red Plant in "listening-only" mode, hoping for signs of life from the Beagle lander. So far, its attempts have been met with only silence.

Beagle 2 hasn't been heard from since it was ordered by controllers in Germany to begin its landing sequence on Mars. Attempts by NASA's Mars Odyssey failed to pick up any indication that the Beagle had survived the plunge into the Martian atmosphere. Powerful radio telescopes on Earth listened and heard nothing. They even scanned the Martian surface, hoping to spot signs of faint radiation emanating from Beagle. But those attempts were not successful.

"I think the only thing I can say to the whole team at this stage is -- play to the final whistle. It only takes a fraction of a second to score a goal," said Professor Colin Pellinger, chief scientist on the Beagle 2 mission.

Despondency over the apparent failure of the Beagle to bark has reached halfway around the world. Australian scientists at the New Norcia listening station about 93 miles north of Perth say each day that passes without some sign of life from Beagle means the chances of raising it at all are more remote. "The prospects are getting slimmer and slimmer by the day, but I am sure we are going to keep looking for at least another week," said New Norcia station manager Roly Morin. "Hopefully by next week they will decide whether they will pursue it further, or concentrate on using the orbiter for the experiments it is designed to do. I don't think we can try for ever, but I am sure we will keep trying for at least another week."

And, yeah, there's a bit of jealousy on the part of Australian scientists involved in the Mars Express mission when they see what a great job the NASA rover Spirit has already come up with. "It was a bit of a kick in the teeth – they are fantastic pictures, and very good for the science community, but it would have been nice to be first."

FMI: www.beagle2.com