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| | | | | | | | Article Images |  |
The mission
| About the same time as Earth and Mars make their
closest approach in more than 60 000 years, ESA's Mars Express
passes the halfway mark of its journey, as regards distance.
Credits: ESA 2003. Illustration by Medialab. | |  |  | |
| | | | | Beagle 2 leaving Mars Express and entering the martian atmosphere.
Beagle 2 will descend to the surface, entering the
atmosphere at more than 20 000 km/h. A heat-resistant
front shield will protect it as friction with the
upper atmosphere slows it down.
Credits: Illustration by Medialab, ESA 2001 | | | | |
| | | | | Beagle 2's heat resistant shield protects it from heat generated by friction with the martian atmosphere. Parachutes deploy to slow it down further, then gas-filled bags inflate to soften its landing.
Beagle 2 will land on Isidis
Planitia, a large, flat sedimentary
basin straddling the relatively
young northern plains and
ancient southern highlands,
where traces of life could have
been preserved.
Credits: ESA 2001. Illustration by Medialab. | | | | |
| | | | | Beagle 2 will land on Isidis
Planitia, a large, flat sedimentary
basin straddling the relatively
young northern plains and
ancient southern highlands,
where traces of life could have
been preserved. The site is not too rocky to
threaten a safe landing (but rocky
enough to be interesting for the
experiments), has few steep
slopes down which the probe
may have to bounce as it lands,
and is not too dusty.
Credits: Illustration by Medialab, ESA 2001 | | | | |
| | | | Last update: 11 October 2005 | |
| | Looking at Mars  More about... Mars Express mission factsMars Express instrumentsPrincipal InvestigatorsRelated links High Resolution Stereo CameraESA Science & Technology HRSC pageDownload wallpapers |
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