Let us all cross fingers for the voyage of the Beagle 2! Mars landing on the 25th!

[GIGObuster]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3344693.stm

Engineers acknowledge that the Beagle landing is a risky venture. Despite more than 30 missions launched at the Red Planet since the 1960s, only three landers have ever reached the Martian surface intact.
“On the day you have to win the lottery,” Beagle 2 mission manager, Dr Mark Sims, of Leicester University, told the BBC.
"All the engineering analysis says it should work but if something goes wrong - we hit a wind shear during entry or we’re unlucky to hit a nice sharp rock on the first bounce then maybe it’s game over by that point.
“Hopefully we’ll be alright but all I ask is that everybody keeps their fingers crossed on Christmas Day for us.”

(Crosses fingers in both hands)

If I believed in Santa, I would have made a letter wishing only this for X-mas, and then finding life on Mars. But, it all depends on a successful landing.

It bites that the Japanese mission to Mars, was recently aborted due to an electrical failure:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3304131.stm
http://www.beagle2.com/index.htm

The lander destined for Mars as part of ESA’s Mars Express Mission will carry the instruments necessary to search for the signatures of life; it’s name Beagle 2 commemorates Darwin’s ship and the voyage which he called “the most important event in my life”.

Good luck Europe!

Mars Express

[TheOnlySaneOne]

crosses his fingers

If for no other reason than the ability to yell out “The Beagle has landed!”

[GIGObuster]

Tried to cross even my toes!
You know, when you take into account all the failures to get to mars, it was really amazing that both Viking missions arrived safely in the last century!

From the ESA site:

Mars Express status report…
23 December 2003 At 11:00 CET today, the Mars Express orbiter was 410 000 kilometres from Mars, and 155 000 000 kilometres from Earth. ESOC Mission Control is preparing the orbiter’s main engine, ready for the Mars Orbit Insertion burn on 25 December.

[Yumblie]

Well, as far as we know it should be on Mars now. We’ll hopefully be getting a signal in about two hours to indicate a successful landing.

[GIGObuster]

Thank you Yumblie for reminding me.

Here is the latest update:

At 03:45 CET today, the Beagle 2 lander should have entered the Martian atmosphere. The Mars Express orbiter began its main engine ignition sequence to start the 34-minute main engine burn for achieving Mars Orbit Insertion. At this time the two spacecraft will be 2700 kilometres apart in space as they began the most crucial stages of their missions.

[Blonde]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106602,00.html

Another link - go, Beagle 2!! Intelligent life on any planet is at an all-time low, help us…and Merry X-Mas.

[Theios]

Come on Beagle2, talk to us!

Beagle2 not talking yet.

I know those guys who run these things are smart bastards. Lets hope they figure out what’s going on soon.

[scr4]

Still no signal.

[GIGObuster]

@##@ lump of coal!

Ok, this year was truly awful for space exploration; there is still some hope for the probe, but fading fast.

I hope that next year, in a few days, the Athena rovers will have the luck of the Vikings:

http://athena.cornell.edu/

[Theios]

Despite the fact the Beagle2 is still MIA, at least the Mars Express orbiter made it just fine. From looking at the specs , it has most of the mission payload.

Congrats, European Space Agency!