“The Beagle 2 module, we thought we were lost since 2003, was found on the surface of the planet Mars, solving the mystery,” said the agency in a statement.
The module, British design, should land on Mars on December 25, 2003, after six months of travel, in European mission “Mars Express”, but has completely disappeared from radar. It was definitely confiscated the February 6, 2004.
European probe “Mars Express”, the first mission to Mars Europe, was launched on June 2, 2003 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, through a Soyuz-Fregat rocket.
The director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Jean-Jacques Dordain, has already reacted, considering that “what was perceived as a failure for 11 years does not actually was a complete failure. At least there was landing on Mars. “
The ESA mission was part of a ship carrying seven instruments for remote sensing and observation and a probe, the Beagle 2. This was equipped with a drill to collect to two meters deep, the Martian soil samples.
“Mars Express” started the scientific observations in January 2004, as planned, studying the Martian atmosphere, the structure of the planet and its geology .
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