Has The Beagle Landed?

20th december 2005
by Guy Rennie
The listing was posted by Virtual Analytics

Virtual Analytics Managing Director, Guy Rennie supported Professor Colin Pillinger at the press conference held at the Open University yesterday, exactly 2 years since Beagle was last sighted as it ejected from Mars Express.

Over recent weeks the Beagle 2 science team, led by Professor Pillinger has been busy investigating a suspected landing site previously dismissed by NASA and the Malin Space Science Institute.

Guy Rennie, an expert in the field of photogrammetric engineering and image analysis was brought in by Professor Pillinger to provide analysis expertise to determine what was or wasn’t in the imagery.  This involved a painstaking analysis of some 140km² of the landing ellipse imagery taken by NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor.  Within this imagery a crater approximately 20m in diameter was found to have evidence of a recent impact into its northern wall.  Most compelling however is the evidence of a symmetrical group of ‘objects’ in keeping with 3 separated gas bags and the Beagle lander.

At Mondays press conference Professor Pillinger announced the findings, which although do not categorically claim to be Beagle 2, they are extremely compelling evidence and highly credible of its ill-fated impact into the crater wall which probably resulted in significant damage preventing Beagle from completing its deployment and establishing contact with Mars Express.

If you would like to down load the presentation 'The Search For Beagle 2' click here

For further information contact Guy Rennie

For The Times news story click here.

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