Beagle2 has been found on Mars 11 years after it was lost. Apparently in one piece.
The Brits are high on it; they feel like Beagle2 nearly upstaged NASA. I have lots of respect for British contributions to technology; their contribution to information technology is often understated. In space faring technologies it is iffy at best.
NASA JPL characterized the 73kg Beagle's landing as no different from throwing a TV set out of a 4th floor window. A "controlled" landing. But it could have been better. A crash landing. But it could have been worse.
The discovery of Beagle2 on the surface of Mars confirms the mission as one of most glorious near-misses in the history of British exploration.
Bold, imaginative, and brilliantly-engineered, the spacecraft came very close to upstaging Nasa but ultimately failed.
Criticised by some for relying too much on the British tradition of "winging it with string and sticky tape", as one European space official put it, Beagle2 nevertheless caught the public imagination.
The mastermind behind the venture, the late Colin Pillinger, could have had a very successful career in marketing. Shyness was never an option.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30842576
Topic: Beagle2 Found On Mars (Read 1961 times)