Posted on 01/16/2015 6:13:59 AM PST by Red Badger
Britain's Beagle 2 lander has finally been spotted, 12 years after it went missing while trying to land on the surface of Mars
History books will need to be rewritten after scientists announced today that Beagle 2 has been finally been found on Mars, 12 years after it vanished without trace.
The beleaguered spacecraft, which has become a byword for mission failure, was spotted by scientists operating the HiRise camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It was discovered just 5km from its original touchdown site in the Isidis Planitia basin.
And it appears that just one faulty motor was behind the unsuccessful landing. The images show that solar panels which should have folded out to reveal a radio antennae, failed to open. An unlucky bounce on it's side may also have mishapen the probe preventing it from opening up properly.
Professor Mark Sims of Leicester University said: "It's like dropping a tin of baked beans and denting it then trying to get the lid off. It's not easy."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Thanks Red Badger. Extra to APoD.
Hubby, born in England, had a Sunbeam AND a Norton MC in California when we were dating. I was educated about
Lucas, Prince of Darkness back then. We even named one of our black cats Lucas Prince of Darkness, RIP Luke.
He is an American citizen now, and we definitely do not cancel each others votes. Conservative to the max.
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