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Well-Known Member
The scientist leading the Beagle project says he has not given up hope of contacting the missing Mars lander.
The UK-built probe failed to transmit a signal on reaching the planet early on Christmas Day.
A later sweep of Mars by the Jodrell Bank radio telescope also failed to detect any sign of the probe, and there are fears it could have crashed.
But Professor Colin Pillinger said he had faith it had landed safely, adding: "We will hang on testing and waiting."
He told a press conference on Boxing Day the robotic probe was programmed to make several more transmissions in the coming days.
The next chance to hear from it was at 1815 GMT on Friday, when the US Mars orbiter Odyssey passes over its planned landing zone.
Jodrell Bank will also try again to pick up a signal from the craft between 1800 GMT and midnight.
Long-term, the Mars Express [Beagle's mothership, which carried it into space and set it loose about a week ago] should be in position to try to make contact with its "baby" early in the New Year.
"We're still early days in extra time," said Prof Pillinger.
If it had landed safely, Beagle was designed to survive on its automated systems for weeks, if not months, he said.
"So we're not concerned about not being able to contact it.
"If we can contact it, we can pull this thing round. But it's very much like... sending somebody a love letter. You know they've got it and you're waiting for their response."
Prof Pillinger suggested there could be a problem with the clock which switches the Beagle 2 transmitter on and off - so the researchers could have been listening for a signal at the wrong time.
"If the clock is telling it something wrong, and the clock gets reset because there was a computer glitch, then the clock could be completely confusing us," he said.
The Beagle 2 was supposed to have dived into the Martian atmosphere at 0245 GMT on Christmas Day and reached the surface about seven minutes later, its impact softened by parachutes and gas-filled bags.
The probe, which weighs less than 70kg and is only 64cm in diameter, was expected to send a pre-planned signal informing Earth it survived the fiery entry - but none was
forthcoming.
A first attempt to make contact via the US Mars orbiter Odyssey also failed.
Prof Pillinger outlined four other possible reasons why the Beagle had failed to make contact.
It may have crashed; it may have landed in the wrong place; or its clam-like lid may not have opened, he said.
It was also possible the probe's antenna was facing the wrong way.
"You have to liken this to the early days of mobile phones," he said.
"You've got one mobile phone, and one mobile phone mast, and we've got one satellite, and we've got to match these things up. And it's not that easy."
'Grimmer'
Other large radio telescopes have been drafted in to help look, including Stanford in California which will help the search on Saturday evening, and the Westerbourg telescope in the Netherlands.
BBC science correspondent David Shukman said that although the scientists were publicly upbeat, among themselves the mood was less cheerful about the "terrible information vacuum".
"Generally behind the scenes the mood is getting a little grimmer day by day... the longer this goes on, the worse things look," he said.
But Dave Rowntree of the rock band Blur, who wrote the nine-note signal meant to be transmitted from Beagle, said it was too early to give up hope.
He told BBC News Online: "The real attempt involves the Mars Express Orbiter which has got specific equipment to look for Beagle."
Mars Express has already begun orbiting around the Red Planet, and scientists say it appears to be in a good condition.
Its orbit must now be refined so it can take up its science mission - and make contact with Beagle if it truly is operational.
Mars Express is the major part of the European mission - Beagle was a late add-on - and will search for water, ice and key chemicals buried under the Martian surface.
It has a powerful stereo camera system which could in early January, if all else fails, search the planet for signs of Beagle's parachutes and airbags.
The UK-built probe failed to transmit a signal on reaching the planet early on Christmas Day.
A later sweep of Mars by the Jodrell Bank radio telescope also failed to detect any sign of the probe, and there are fears it could have crashed.
But Professor Colin Pillinger said he had faith it had landed safely, adding: "We will hang on testing and waiting."
He told a press conference on Boxing Day the robotic probe was programmed to make several more transmissions in the coming days.
The next chance to hear from it was at 1815 GMT on Friday, when the US Mars orbiter Odyssey passes over its planned landing zone.
Jodrell Bank will also try again to pick up a signal from the craft between 1800 GMT and midnight.
Long-term, the Mars Express [Beagle's mothership, which carried it into space and set it loose about a week ago] should be in position to try to make contact with its "baby" early in the New Year.
"We're still early days in extra time," said Prof Pillinger.
If it had landed safely, Beagle was designed to survive on its automated systems for weeks, if not months, he said.
"So we're not concerned about not being able to contact it.
"If we can contact it, we can pull this thing round. But it's very much like... sending somebody a love letter. You know they've got it and you're waiting for their response."
Prof Pillinger suggested there could be a problem with the clock which switches the Beagle 2 transmitter on and off - so the researchers could have been listening for a signal at the wrong time.
"If the clock is telling it something wrong, and the clock gets reset because there was a computer glitch, then the clock could be completely confusing us," he said.
The Beagle 2 was supposed to have dived into the Martian atmosphere at 0245 GMT on Christmas Day and reached the surface about seven minutes later, its impact softened by parachutes and gas-filled bags.
The probe, which weighs less than 70kg and is only 64cm in diameter, was expected to send a pre-planned signal informing Earth it survived the fiery entry - but none was
forthcoming.
A first attempt to make contact via the US Mars orbiter Odyssey also failed.
Prof Pillinger outlined four other possible reasons why the Beagle had failed to make contact.
It may have crashed; it may have landed in the wrong place; or its clam-like lid may not have opened, he said.
It was also possible the probe's antenna was facing the wrong way.
"You have to liken this to the early days of mobile phones," he said.
"You've got one mobile phone, and one mobile phone mast, and we've got one satellite, and we've got to match these things up. And it's not that easy."
'Grimmer'
Other large radio telescopes have been drafted in to help look, including Stanford in California which will help the search on Saturday evening, and the Westerbourg telescope in the Netherlands.
BBC science correspondent David Shukman said that although the scientists were publicly upbeat, among themselves the mood was less cheerful about the "terrible information vacuum".
"Generally behind the scenes the mood is getting a little grimmer day by day... the longer this goes on, the worse things look," he said.
But Dave Rowntree of the rock band Blur, who wrote the nine-note signal meant to be transmitted from Beagle, said it was too early to give up hope.
He told BBC News Online: "The real attempt involves the Mars Express Orbiter which has got specific equipment to look for Beagle."
Mars Express has already begun orbiting around the Red Planet, and scientists say it appears to be in a good condition.
Its orbit must now be refined so it can take up its science mission - and make contact with Beagle if it truly is operational.
Mars Express is the major part of the European mission - Beagle was a late add-on - and will search for water, ice and key chemicals buried under the Martian surface.
It has a powerful stereo camera system which could in early January, if all else fails, search the planet for signs of Beagle's parachutes and airbags.
I'm just sayin' ...
Theres a twist...
