After being instructed to land on the surface of Mars Christmas
Day, the European Space Agency probe Beagle 2 has been ominously
silent. Still, flight controllers say they're optimistic the lander
is alive and well and will be able to start transmitting
soon.
ESA officials had hoped Beagle 2 would send a signal to be picked
up by NASA's Mars Odyssey satellite orbiting overhead. But NASA
says it has received no signal from the European lander.