Posted on 03/08/2004 5:20:05 AM PST by blam
Beagle 2 entered Mars 'too fast'
A heat shield will protect Beagle during descent
The Beagle 2 lander could have crashed into Mars because the atmosphere on the planet was less dense than expected. UK mission scientists told a London meeting the probe may simply have been going too fast for its parachute and airbags to bring about a soft landing.
The Royal Society conference also heard photographic evidence had found four bright spots, dubbed the "string of pearls", on the surface of the planet.
Scientists are studying the images to see if they show the lander's remains.
They want to know if the spots represent perhaps the probe's airbags and chute or are merely an artefact of the imaging process.
The Beagle team, led by Professor Colin Pillinger, told the society the latter was probably the case.
The idea that Beagle may have had too high a velocity as it approached the surface of Mars is not unexpected.
The US space agency also reported a less dense atmosphere than expected on the entry of its first rover, Spirit.
This was explained by the dust storm activity on the planet at the time which acted to warm the atmosphere.
The Nasa vehicle managed to get down safely thanks to its multiple chutes and robust airbag system.
Even so, the entry parameters for the second rover, Opportunity, were changed as a result. This was deemed particularly important because Opportunity was aimed at a higher altitude target.
Bummer, Dude!
I think that the writer needs to go back to school and learn the proper terminology for his sentences.
Man, one look at that headline and I knew my mind was in the gutter this morning.
I oopsed. Sowwy.
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