Europe goes to Mars – The Science of Mars Express and Beagle 2

Mars Express, the European Space Agency’s mission to Mars, is due to launch
from Baikonur in Kazakstan in June 2003 (launch window is 1st to 23rd June).
Today, scientists involved in both the orbiter and lander will meet together
in London to finalise and co-ordinate scientific operations between these
two elements of the mission – a community of European scientists linked by
their mutual desire to reveal the secrets of the mysterious Red Planet.

Professor Ian Halliday, Chief Executive of the Particle Physics and
Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) said, “Mars has always fascinated us. The
world has continually postulated on the Red Planet harbouring life and this
awesome mission, in which the UK has played such a significant role, will
answer this age-old question. A positive result would be the vital first
step in answering an even more fundamental question: are we alone in the
universe?”

By mapping the Martian surface and sub surface, studying the planet’s
atmosphere and ionosphere from orbit and by conducting observations and
experiments on the surface using the Beagle 2 lander, the spacecraft will
attempt to answer this profound question whilst revealing a wealth of
knowledge about the Red Planet.

UK scientists, funded by PPARC, play key roles in the orbiter and lander. Of
the seven instruments on the orbiter UK scientists are involved in three.

* The Mullard Space Science Laboratory and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
are involved with ASPERA, the energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser, which will
look at how the solar wind erodes the Martian atmosphere to identify the
constituent atoms of water.

* University College, London and the Open University are involved with HRSC,
the High Resolution Stereo Colour Imager, which will image the entire planet
in full colour.

* University College London, Queen Mary University of London and University
of Bristol are involved with MARSIS, the subsurface Sounding
Radar/Altimeter, which will search for water beneath the surface crust of
Mars.

The UK plays the lead role in the development of Beagle 2, the lander
element. Consortium leader Professor Colin Pillinger of the Open University
heads up the team, which also involves scientists from the University of
Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory. The Open University, with
additional funding from the Wellcome Trust, is responsible for the key
instrument, the gas analysis package including the mass spectrometer.

Professor Colin Pillinger, Principal Investigator for the Beagle 2 lander
said:

“It is exciting to think that Europe’s first adventure to a planet will
involve both orbiter and lander science. With Beagle 2 we aim to provide
ground truth for one site that will help maximise the return from the
orbiter investigations.”

Dr Agustin Chicarro, ESA’s Mars Express Project Scientist said:

“Mars Express is the first European planetary mission, focusing on mapping
of subsurface groundwater and the identification of life signature. It will
provide an unprecedented global view of the planet in terms of surface,
subsurface, atmosphere and environment investigation.”

Notes to Editors

Contacts

Peter Barratt – PPARC Press Office

Tel: 01793 442025

Mobile: 0787 9602899

Email: peter.barratt@pparc.ac.uk

Gill Ormrod – PPARC Press Office

Tel: 01793 442012

Mobile: 0781 8013509

Email: gill.ormrod@pparc.ac.uk

Franco Bonacina – ESA Media Relations Office

Tel: +33 1 53 69 7155. Email: franco.bonacina@esa.int

Dr Agustin Chicarro – ESA Scientific Programme

Tel: +33 71 565 3613. Email: agustin.chicarro@esa.int

UK Scientists involved in the mission are listed below:-

Mars Express – Orbiter Instruments

ASPERA

Dr Andrew Coates, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College

London

Tel: +44 (0) 1483 204100. Email: ajc@mssl.ucl.ac.uk

Professor Manuel Grande, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Tel: +44 (0) 1235 446501. Email: M.Grande@rl.ac.uk

HRSC

Professor Jan-Peter Muller, University College London

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 7227. Email: jpmuller@ge.ucl.ac.uk

Professor John Murray, Open University

Tel: +44 (0) 1908 652116. Email: j.b.murray@open.ac.uk

MARSIS

Professor John Guest, University College London

Tel: +44 (0) 20 76792134. Email: jeg@star.ucl.ac.uk

Professor Iwan Williams, Queen Mary University of London

Tel: +44 (0) 20 78825452. Email: I.P.Williams@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Martin J Siegert, University of Bristol

Tel: +44 (0) 117 9288902. Email: m.j.siegert@bris.ac.uk

Beagle 2

All contacts concerning Beagle 2 are made in the first instance through the
Beagle 2 project office.

Professor Colin Pillinger, Open University

Tel: +44 (0) 1908 655169. Email: psrg@open.ac.uk

Images

Images of Mars Express can be found on the following web sites:-

ESA Mars Express Web site –

http://www.sci.esa.int/home/marsexpress/index.cfm

Beagle 2 web site – www.beagle2.com/resources/photoalbum

PPARC web site – www.pparc.ac.uk

Background

Mission Objectives

Recent space missions have revealed a wealth of knowledge about Mars but
have also raised many questions about the creation and evolution of the
Martian landscape. Mars Express will help to answer these questions by
mapping the Martian sub-surface, surface, atmosphere and ionosphere from
orbit and by conducting observations and experiments on the surface.

The Orbiter will:

– Image the entire surface at high resolution and selected areas at super resolution

– Produce a map of the mineral composition of the surface at 100 m resolution

– Map the composition of the atmosphere and determine its global circulation

– Determine the structure of the sub-surface to a depth of a few kilometres

– Determine the effect of the atmosphere on the surface

– Determine the interaction of the atmosphere with the solar wind

The Beagle 2 lander will:

– Determine the geology and the mineral and chemical composition of the
landing site

– Search for life signatures (exobiology)

– Study the weather and climate

Launch and flight

Mars Express will be launched by a Soyuz-Fregat launcher from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in June 2003. At this time the position of the two
planets make for the shortest possible route, a condition that occurs once
every twenty-six months. It will take the spacecraft six months to reach the
Red Planet. Six days before arrival in December 2003 Mars Express will eject
the Beagle 2 lander, which will make its way to the correct landing site on
the surface. Mars Express will remain in orbit around Mars for one Martian
year (687 Earth Days). During this time, the point of orbit closest to Mars
will move around to give the scientific instruments coverage of the entire
Martian surface at all kinds of viewing angles.

Beagle entry, descent and landing

Beagle 2 will descend to the surface, entering the atmosphere at more than
Mach 31.5 (31.5 times the velocity of sound – just over 700 mph). When its
speed has fallen to 1600 km/h, parachutes will deploy to slow it further.
Finally large gas-filled bags will inflate to protect it as it bounces to a
halt on the landing site. Once still its solar panels will open out and the
cameras will start to take in the view. After a couple of days the detailed
rock and soil analyses will begin carried out by the instruments mounted on
the Position Adjustable Workbench (PAW) which will also deliver samples to
the gas analysis package inside the lander for analyses to determine if
there is evidence of remnants of life.

Issued by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council 16th April
2003.