ESA PR 36-2003. The European Mars Express space probe has been placed successfully in a trajectory that will take it beyond the terrestrial environment and on the way to Mars getting there in late December. This first European Space Agency probe to head for another planet will enter an orbit around Mars, from where it will perform detailed studies of the planet’s surface, its subsurface structures and its atmosphere. It will also deploy Beagle 2, a small autonomous station which will land on the planet, studying its surface and looking for possible signs of life, past or present.
Beagle 2 Home Page
ESA Mars Express
Credit: ESA
The Beagle 2 is equipped with the Amptek XR-100 x-ray detector, the A250 charge sensitive preamplifier, and the A275 shaping amplifier.