20 years ago today, the Beagle 2 Lander was launched into space on the back of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express

The Beagle 2 mission was one of the most ambitious space exploration missions in recent memory, aiming to uncover the mysteries of Mars and find evidence of past life on the Red Planet. Named after HMS Beagle, the ship that carried Charles Darwin on his groundbreaking voyage, the Beagle 2 was a British Mars lander transported by the European Space Agency’s 2003 Mars Express mission.

The mission’s primary objective was to conduct an astrobiology mission, examining the Martian geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and the atmosphere’s and surface layers’ physical properties. The mission also aimed to collect data on Martian meteorology and climate and, most importantly, search for biosignatures and signs of past or present life on Mars.

What Was The Beagle 2 Mission?

The Beagle 2 was launched on June 2, 2003, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was carried to Mars by the Mars Express, a mission by the European Space Agency. The Beagle 2 was successfully deployed from the Mars Express on December 19, 2003, and was scheduled to land on Mars on December 25. However, no communication was received from the lander at its expected landing time, leading to the declaration of the mission as lost in February 2004.

The Beagle 2 mission was conceived by a group of British academics led by Professor Colin Pillinger of the Open University in collaboration with the University of Leicester.

The project was designed and developed by several UK academics and companies, reflecting a broad collaboration across the UK’s scientific community.

Beagle 2 Mission Planning

The Beagle 2 mission was a British-led effort as part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission. The exact cost of Beagle 2 is unknown, but most estimates range from £40 to £50 million. This comparatively low budget for a Mars mission presented unique challenges, requiring innovative solutions to keep costs down while still achieving the mission’s ambitious scientific objectives.

The team faced numerous challenges, including the need to design a lander capable of withstanding the harsh Martian environment and carrying out a complex astrobiology mission.

The Beagle 2 was designed as a Mars lander, equipped with a robotic sampling arm and a small “mole” (Planetary Undersurface Tool, or PLUTO), capable of moving across the surface and collecting subsurface samples. The lander was also equipped with scientific instruments for gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (the Gas Analysis Package, or GAP), a microscope, panoramic and wide-angle cameras, Mossbauer and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, and environmental sensors.

The lander was shaped like a shallow bowl, with a diameter of 0.65 m and a depth of 0.25 m. The cover of the lander was hinged and folded open to reveal the craft’s interior, which held the UHF antenna, the robot arm, and the scientific equipment.

Beagle 2 was designed as a Mars lander, with a landing mass of 33.2 kg and a payload mass of 9 kg for science instruments. The spacecraft was designed to conduct an astrobiology mission that would have looked for evidence of past life on Mars. The Beagle 2 lander’s objectives were to characterize the landing site geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and oxidation state, collect data on Martian meteorology and climate, and search for biosignatures.

Pre-launch Phase

The principal investigator, Colin Pillinger, created a consortium to design and build Beagle 2. The principal members and their initial responsibilities were diverse, including the Open University as the consortium leader and scientific experiments provider, the University of Leicester for project management, mission management, flight operations team, instrument management, and scientific experiments, and Astrium as the main industrial partner.

Other key participants included Martin Baker for the entry, descent, and landing system, Logica for the cruise, entry, descent, and landing software, and SCISYS for the ground segment and lander software.

The Beagle 2 lander was funded through a partnership arrangement involving the Open University, EADS-Astrium, the DTI, the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), the Office of Science and Technology, and ESA. Funding also came from the National Space Science Centre and the Wellcome Foundation. UK principal investigators for Beagle 2 came from the Open University (gas analysis package), Leicester University (environmental sensors and x-ray spectrometer), and Mullard Space Science Laboratory (imaging systems).

Beagle 2’s Journey to Mars

The Beagle 2 mission embarked on its journey to Mars on June 2, 2003, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle.

The spacecraft was initially mounted on the top deck of the Mars Express Orbiter, a companion mission by the European Space Agency.

On December 19, 2003, Beagle 2 was released from the Orbiter on a ballistic trajectory towards Mars. After five days of coasting, Beagle 2 was expected to enter the Martian atmosphere at over 20,000 km/hr on the morning of December 25, 2003.

The landing site chosen for Beagle 2 was in Isidis Planitia, a large flat region that overlies the boundary between the ancient highlands and the northern plains of Mars. However, no signals were received following the scheduled landing, and after over a month of attempts at contact, the mission was declared lost.

Mars Express

The Mars Express, the “mothership” that carried Beagle 2 to Mars, was a mission by the European Space Agency. While Beagle 2 was designed to land on Mars and conduct surface operations, the Mars Express orbiter was designed to study the planet from orbit. The Orbiter was equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to study the Martian atmosphere, surface, and subsurface.

Despite the loss of Beagle 2, the Mars Express mission was successful in its own right. The Orbiter entered the Martian orbit and has been conducting scientific observations of Mars since then. The data collected by Mars Express has significantly contributed to our understanding of Mars, providing valuable information about the planet’s geology, atmosphere, and potential for harbouring life.

The Disappearance of Beagle 2

The Beagle 2 was scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Day, December 25, 2003. The lander was expected to enter the Martian atmosphere at over 20,000 km/hr, with parachutes and airbags designed to cushion the final touchdown.

The disappearance of Beagle 2 was a significant blow to the mission team and the international space community. Despite the loss, the group remained committed to understanding what went wrong.

Several theories were proposed, including a failure of the lander’s entry, descent, and landing system, a malfunction of the communication system, or a catastrophic crash landing. However, without any data or communication from the lander, it was impossible to determine the exact cause of the failure.

After the disappearance of Beagle 2, a prolonged search was initiated. The mission team and the international space community made numerous attempts to contact the spacecraft. The Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank and Mars Express were used in these attempts but failed. The Beagle 2 Management Board declared the mission lost on February 6, 2004.

Despite the setback, the search for Beagle 2 continued, hoping that high-resolution imagery could provide clues about its fate.

The mystery of Beagle 2’s fate was finally resolved in January 2015, over a decade after its disappearance. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, equipped with a high-resolution camera known as HiRISE, located Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars. The images showed that Beagle 2 had landed safely on Mars, but two of its four solar panels failed to deploy, blocking the spacecraft’s communications antenna.

The discovery of Beagle 2 provided valuable insights into what might have gone wrong with the mission. The images suggested that one of the “petals” on which the lander’s solar panels were mounted failed to fully open. This incomplete deployment prevented the onboard antenna, hidden under the last solar panel, from gaining visibility to any orbiter. As a result, the lander could not establish communication, leading to the mission’s failure. Despite this unfortunate outcome, the discovery of Beagle 2 on Mars was significant, providing closure to a long-standing mystery in Mars exploration.

Legacy of Beagle 2

The mission still serves as a powerful reminder of the unpredictability, challenges, and potential rewards of space exploration. Despite its initial failure, the mission has had a profound impact on subsequent Mars missions and space exploration in general.

Despite its initial failure, the lessons learned from the mission have been instrumental in shaping the design and execution of later missions. The mission’s failure highlighted the importance of redundancy in space missions, leading to the incorporation of multiple communication systems and backup plans in subsequent tasks.

The mission also underscored the need for rigorous testing and quality control in designing and manufacturing space probes. The discovery of Beagle 2 in 2015 and the subsequent analysis of its condition provided valuable insights into the challenges of landing on Mars, which have informed the design of landing systems for later Mars missions.

The Beagle 2 mission captured the public imagination and inspired a new generation of scientists and space explorers. Despite the mission’s ultimate failure, its ambitious goals and the dedication of its team served as a powerful demonstration of the potential of space exploration. The mission’s legacy inspires the next generation of Engineers to pursue space science and engineering careers.

The mission has also significantly impacted the UK’s involvement in space exploration. The mission demonstrated the UK’s capabilities in space science and engineering and helped to establish the UK as a significant player in international space exploration. The mission’s legacy continues to influence the UK’s space policy and its commitment to Mars exploration.

The engineering behind Beagle 2 also contributes to our current knowledge and future plans for Mars. The mission’s primary objective was to search for signs of past life on Mars, a goal that remains a central focus of Mars exploration. The mission’s innovative design and scientific instruments have informed the design of later Mars missions, and the data it was expected to collect continues to define the scientific objectives of these missions.

Recap

The Beagle 2 mission was an ambitious attempt to search for signs of past life on Mars. Launched in June 2003, the mission faced numerous challenges, from its low budget to the technical difficulties of landing on Mars. Despite these challenges, the mission team remained dedicated to their goal, demonstrating the potential of space exploration.

The mission’s journey ended uncertainly when Beagle 2 disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing on Mars in December 2003. The mission was declared lost in February 2004, but the search for Beagle 2 continued. In 2015, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered Beagle 2 on the Martian surface, providing valuable insights into the mission’s fate.

The enduring legacy of Beagle 2 lies in its ambitious goals, the dedication of its team, and the lessons learned from its failure. The mission demonstrated the potential of space exploration, and its ambitious goals continue to inspire scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of what is possible.