"Greenwich, Mars base here, the Beagle has been stranded!"

The Telegraph - UK ^ | December 26, 2003 | David Derbyshire

[UnklGene]

"Greenwich, Mars base here, the Beagle has been stranded!"

Hopes for British Mars probe receding

By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent (Filed: 27/12/2003)

Hopes for the British Mars probe Beagle 2 were starting to fade last night after it failed to make contact for the second day running.

Nasa's orbiting spacecraft Mars Odyssey swept over the landing site between 5.25pm and 6.45pm but was unable to pick up a radio signal.

Prof Colin Pillinger waits to here news about Beagle The night before, the huge Jodrell Bank radio telescope also tried to detect Beagle's faint whimper from Mars with no success.

It is feared that the £50 million probe may have been lost or damaged on entry and unable to call home. But the British team behind Beagle 2 are optimistic that it is alive and will continue their hunt until at least the first week of January.

They say its internal clock, which turns the radio transmitter on and off, may be faulty and that the craft could be sending a signal when no one is listening.

Last night, Jodrell Bank was searching for the Beagle for a second night. Radio telescopes in America and Holland have also joined in the search and more telescopes from the southern hemisphere may take part.

Prof Colin Pillinger, the Open University scientist in charge of the mission, said: "It's like sending somebody a love letter. You know they've got it and you are waiting for their response. We are out there and we are waiting for their response. We are trying, Beagle. Please bark."

The probe - the size of a garden barbecue - was due to land on Christmas Day at 2.54am and transmit a nine-note call sign composed by the pop group Blur.

[Dallas59]

Oh man...I was hoping they would pull it off.

[billorites]

"If all had gone to plan...searing 1,700C temperatures...an explosive mortar...pilot parachute...main parachute...three giant gas bags...cushion the impact...literally bounced on to Mars...more than a dozen bounces...before finally coming to a halt...gas bags to split apart...the probe to drop the final metre to land directly on the planet's surface."

Gee.

This is a plan?

[ElkGroveDan]

This is a plan?

The US did all the successfully in 1997 with Pathfinder. We will be doing it again twice in the next few weeks. Lessee how we do verses the Europeans.

[billorites]

I've got my fingers crossed.

Glad they didn't put me in charge.

I'd need another couple weeks to assure success.

[RightWhale]

gas bags to split apart

This is the part that makes one wonder.

[irv]

Lessee how we do verses the Europeans.

Good point. The history of Mars probes the last few years - including two noticeable failures on NASA's part - make one wonder if there's someone there shooting them down.

[GeronL]

How long until the American orbiter gets there?? will it listen on the same frequency?

[Noumenon]

Damned Lucas electrics.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Teddy Kennedy isn't going to enjoy that.

[Heatseeker]

Damned Lucas electrics.

A very pained LOL. "Lights Out Lucas, the Prince of Darkness". :)

[MarkeyD]

three giant gas bags

They sent Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, and Nancy Pelosi to Mars? We could wish!!

[Politically Correct]

Why do the British drink their beer warm?

Because Lucas makes refridgerators.

[Doc On The Bay]

FAR too many "Failures!"

Do you believe in "Coincidence??"

'Time to send a MANNED Mission! (Armed??)

'Time to get some REAL, RELIABLE, VERIFIABLE Data.

The "Robots" have been SINGULARLY INEFFECTIVE on Mars.

Besides, a "Manned Mission" is SO MUCH MORE FUN than R2D2!!

It's time to "Step up to the Plate;"--either we are SERIOUS about our Exploration of Mars, or we're "Dilettant's!"

It's Time for a "John Kennedy Earth to-the-moon Moment," or a TOTAL RETREAT to a "Near-Earth-Orbit" Space Program.

In Short, we have been presented with a "Spacefaring Gut-Check!"

So WHAT will it be??

Doc

[Nik Naym]

Ah, Lucas. I remember them from my Dad's MGB back in the 60s.

All switches had 3 positions: Off, Dim, and Flicker.

Know what? If I am not mistaken, a lot of the electrical system on the Airbus aircraft is supplied by Lucas. Scary, huh?

Nik

[RightWhale]

either we are SERIOUS about our Exploration of Mars, or we're "Dilettant's!"

We ought to have a manned base on Deimos or Phobos by now, or as soon as we can get it organized as a program not a project. From there they could drop Beagles every day. Then, when we're sure what we want to do on surface, we can do that.

[Colosis]

call sign composed by the pop group Blur

Maybe anti war messages don't travel well through space.

[petuniasevan]

I've been documenting this event in my APOD threads the last couple of days.

Here's the latest:

BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Reload this page for updates on Europe's Mars Express spacecraft arrival at the Red Planet and the Beagle 2 landing.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2003
0050 GMT (7:50 p.m. EST Fri.)

The 76-meter (250-foot) Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, U.K., was unable to hear any transmissions from the Beagle 2 lander tonight, the project has confirmed.

The radio telescope performed a scan of the sky while Mars was visible to the observatory.

"At present, Beagle 2 should be sending a pulsing on-off signal once a minute (10 seconds on, 50 seconds off). Some 9 minutes later, this very slow "Morse Code" broadcast should reach Earth after a journey of some 98 million miles (157 million km)," Beagle officials said in a statement.

"Although the Beagle's transmitter power is only five watts, little more than that of a mobile phone, scientists are confident that the signal can be detected by the state-of-the-art receiver recently installed on the Lovell Telescope. However, a significant drop in signal strength would require rigorous analysis of the data before it could be unambiguously identified.

"Although the ground-based radio telescopes will not be able to send any reply, the new information provided by detection of the transmission from Beagle 2 would enable the mission team to determine a provisional location for Beagle 2. This, in turn, would allow the communications antenna on Mars Odyssey to be directed more accurately towards Beagle 2 during the orbiter's subsequent overhead passes."

The next Odyssey flight over the landing site will occur in a few hours.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2003
2355 GMT (6:55 p.m. EST)

Thus far this evening the Jodrell Bank radio observatory has not detected any signals from Beagle, project officials report.

2055 GMT (3:55 p.m. EST)

Mars Odyssey heard no signal from Beagle when it flew over the landing site earlier today.

Jodrell Bank radio telescope in the U.K. will continue listening this evening in hopes of detecting a transmission from the tiny lander that is supposed to be operating on the surface of Mars.

Odyssey will try again at 0657 GMT (1:57 a.m. EST) and 1814 GMT (1:14 p.m. EST) on Saturday.

"While initial attempts to detect a signal from the tiny spacecraft have failed, further efforts are scheduled whenever possible during the next few days," the European Space Agency says.

1835 GMT (1:35 p.m. EST)

If this current Mars Odyssey shot to find the Beagle lander is unsuccessful, there are several more attempts planned over the next few days.

According to the European Space Agency, the next sweep by Jodrell Bank will occur between 2320 and 2400 GMT (6:20-7 p.m. EST) tonight, although this giant radio telescope likely will begin looking earlier than that window.

On Saturday, Mars Odyssey passes over the landing site again at 0657 GMT (1:57 a.m. EST). Jodrell Bank becomes available between 2316 and 2356 GMT (6:16 and 6:56 p.m. EST).

Odyssey will continue the search daily and the Stanford University radio telescope in the U.S. is expected to also join in the effort, ESA said.

"If all those attempts are unsuccessful, then Mars Express itself flies over the landing site in the first week of January 2004. Of all these potential signal detectors, Mars Express is the only one that has been specially designed and tested to transmit and receive signals from Beagle 2.

"The hope is strong that the Mars Express orbiter will be successful in this task," ESA officials said.

[Heatseeker]

If I am not mistaken, a lot of the electrical system on the Airbus aircraft is supplied by Lucas. Scary, huh?

Oh great - I am supposed to go to the UK soon. A340 of course. :(

[DarthMaulrulesok]

Maybe it's just as well we DIDN'T hear:

"People of Earth, we are the Mysterians!"