Mission controllers are gearing up for the arrival of Europe's first mission to Mars
Published:
24 December 2003 y., Wednesday
The UK Mars lander, Beagle 2, is expected to land at 0254 GMT on Christmas morning to search for signs of life, past or present.
The Mars Express spacecraft will be steered into position around the planet at about 0300 GMT on Christmas Day.
Beagle 2 successfully separated from its Mars Express mothership on Friday.
It has travelled the last leg of the 250-million-kilometre journey to the Red Planet, silent, powerless and alone.
In the early hours of Christmas Day, the tiny probe, less than a metre across, will enter the thin atmosphere around Mars and make its perilous descent, slowed by parachutes, and cushioned by airbags.
Šaltinis:
BBC News
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