http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11349163/Beagle-2-found-on-surface-of-Mars-after-vanishing-for-12-years.htmlBeagle 2 found on surface of Mars after vanishing for 12 years
Britain's Beagle 2 lander has finally been spotted, 12 years after it went missing while trying to land on the surface of Mars
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor
6:00PM GMT 16 Jan 2015
History books will need to be rewritten after scientists announced today that Beagle 2 has been finally been found on Mars, 12 years after it vanished without trace.
The beleaguered spacecraft, which has become a byword for mission failure, was spotted by scientists operating the HiRise camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It was discovered just 5km from its original touchdown site in the Isidis Planitia basin.
And it appears that just one faulty motor was behind the unsuccessful landing. The images show that solar panels which should have folded out to reveal a radio antenna, failed to open. An unlucky bounce on its side may also have misshapen the probe preventing it from opening up properly.
Professor Mark Sims of Leicester University said: "It's like dropping a tin of baked beans and denting it then trying to get the lid off. It's not easy."
The first picture of Beagle 2 sitting on the surface of Mars
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