Mars probe landing awaited

Mars probe landing awaited

Europeans hope to sample planet’s surface for signs of life

By DAVID MCHUGH Associated Press

Thursday, December 25, 2003

Darmstadt, Germany — European space officials Wednesday tensely awaited the landing of their first probe on Mars, sending final commands to prepare its accompanying mother ship to start orbiting the planet as the Beagle 2 probe plunged toward the surface.

Beagle 2, which had separated from the larger Mars Express orbiter, was expected to enter the Martian atmosphere and land about 3:45 a.m. today — Mission Control time — using parachutes and gas bags to cushion the impact.

At about the same time, Mars Express will fire its main engine for 34 minutes to slow it into orbit, a maneuver critical to the mission’s success.

But controllers will have to wait several hours or even days to pick up the first signals from Beagle 2, if it survives the fiery 7 1/2-minute plunge through the Martian atmosphere.

The 143-pound lander, shaped like an oversize wok, won’t communicate until it can open its solar panels and charge its batteries using the sun’s energy.

Confirmation that the Mars Express successfully entered orbit also won’t come for several hours, until it emerges from the far side of the planet.

Mission controllers sent the last commands to Mars Express on Wednesday morning, telling it to heat its fuel tanks and switch off non-essential equipment so it won’t interfere with the maneuver.

“From this point, the tension really starts to grow,” flight director Michael McKay said in a statement. “We don’t have a lot more to do except watch and wait.”

The first chance to hear from Beagle 2 — named for the ship that carried naturalist Charles Darwin on his voyage of discovery in the 1830s — comes this morning in Europe when the U.S. Mars Odyssey spacecraft, already orbiting the planet, has a chance to pick up and relay a signal.

If that doesn’t work, the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Britain will try to pick up Beagle’s signal later today.

Beagle 2 is designed to use a robotic arm to sample surface rock and soil for signs of past or present life.

Meanwhile, Mars Express will orbit overhead for at least a Martian year, or 687 Earth days, probing as deep as 2.5 miles below the surface with a powerful radar to look for underground water. It will also map the surface with a high-resolution stereo camera.

NASA’s Spirit, one of two identical robot explorers, is expected to land Jan. 3. Its sibling, Opportunity, is scheduled to settle on the opposite side of the planet Jan. 24.

European controllers won’t give up if no signal from Beagle 2 is detected today. For one thing, NASA’s Odyssey craft should have more than one chance in the following days to make contact.

If all goes well, Beagle 2 is expected to transmit its first pictures from Mars as early as next Monday.