# ESA plans to put Beagle 2 on Mars. Where is PETA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789 "2003-12-08T23:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789/1 "2003-12-08T23:42:28Z")
[This is cruel.](http://news.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2003/12/03/ecfmars03.xml) > [@](#): > > The ejection is one of the most critical parts of the mission. **As soon as Beagle 2 has been released spinning towards Mars,** the mothership must change its orientation and fire thrusters to enter orbit. If the mechanism fails, it will automatically fire again. > > A successful ejection will be the first time that an orbiter has delivered a lander without its own propulsion on to a planet and then attempted to place itself into orbit. > > The manoeuvres are time critical - and allow little margin of error. If Beagle 2 does not separate, Mars Express’s experiments from orbit will be “severely compromised”. **And if the craft fails to change course after separation, it could come to a premature, and fiery, end in the Martian atmosphere.** [bolding mine] I’m rooting for the little fella. Two of my dogs just went to “boot camp” for a week of intensive confidence-obedience training. Sob. This will be my longest time away from my girl dogs (one beagle, one shepherd). It’s as quiet as an Orlando Magic home game in my house right now. I guess this is like sending your kids to college, but on a much smaller scale. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789/2 "2003-12-09T04:23:57Z")
Ah yes… The Mother Ship Funkentelechy. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789/3 "2003-12-09T15:33:53Z")
> [@](#): > > The Mother Ship I miss the girls. Today I had to get up without a shepherd face wash. That’s always good before hitting the shower. My oldest beagle has adjusted to getting all the leftovers and the attention, but last night he was obviously looking around for the other dogs. Sad, as he doesn’t really get it. That’s one funky mission to Mars, BTW. If they pull that off, color me impressed. Mars missions have failed a great deal, for whatever reason or reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789/4 "2003-12-09T18:53:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beagle \* > \*\* Mars missions have failed a great deal, for whatever reason or reasons. \*\* Bush, it’s Bush to blame I tells ya… ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esa-plans-to-put-beagle-2-on-mars-where-is-peta/217789/5 "2003-12-10T15:54:29Z")
But _which_ Bush?! [Hopefully the Martian bear will be coming out of hibernation. That would be cool.](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=96&ncid=96&e=2&u=/space/20031209/sc_space/marsemergingfromiceagedatasuggest) > [@](#): > > **Scientists have suspected in recent years that Mars might be undergoing some sort of global warming. New data points to the possibility it is emerging from an ice age.** > > NASA (news - web sites)'s Mars Odyssey orbiter has been surveying the planet for nearly a full Martian year now, and it has spotted seasonal changes like the advance and retreat of polar ice. It’s also gathering data of a possible longer trend. Like I was saying about Mars missions, good [luck](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/nozomi_done_031209.html)! > [@](#): > > 09 December 2003 > TOKYO (AP) \_ Japan abandoned its troubled mission to Mars on Tuesday after space officials failed in their final effort to put the Nozomi probe back on course to orbit the Red Planet. > > The probe, Japan’s first interplanetary explorer, had been traveling for five years toward Mars and would have reached the planet next week. > > But officials at JAXA, Japan’s space agency, said Nozomi was off target and that scientists gave up trying to salvage the mission after an attempt to fire the probe’s engines failed because it was short on fuel.