Orbiter to look for lost-to-Mars probes

Other views
Zurek said that scientists also hope to snag some early views of the Viking Lander 2 site. That NASA spacecraft successfully set down in Mars’ Utopia Planitia in early September of 1976. Doing so will help calibrate interpretations of higher latitude data being collected for the Phoenix lander mission, he said. 

“We also hope to get back for a second view of Victoria Crater to pair with the one just taken in order to produce a stereo image before lighting conditions change too much,” Zurek said. NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover has wheeled itself into position to begin studies of that large feature. The space agency’s other doing-just-fine Mars rover, Spirit, is also a likely target - but one that is not as urgent as some of the other MRO targets on the “to do” list, he observed.

But first, MRO must focus on the near-term needs of Phoenix and Mars Science Laboratory, Zurek emphasized. “And second, we should not forget that MRO is supposed to do more than look at places that we already know. It also seeks new places that may prove to be even better destinations for future missions and to test our present understanding with new data as we explore more of the diverse planet that is Mars,” he added.

Similar to the Mars Polar Lander loss was the plight of a British-built Beagle 2 probe. It was deployed from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express on December 19, 2003. Mars Express remains busy at work as it orbits the planet.

Beagle 2 was targeted to land in Isidis Planitia via parachutes and airbags to cushion its touch down. The probe was a science instrument-packed 152 pound (69 kilogram) device that never uttered a peep from the surface of Mars.

“Depending on our success with Mars Polar Lander — and with landers with fairly well-known locations — we will eventually try for Beagle 2, but that is a much greater challenge due to its smaller size and the greater uncertainty of its landing ellipse,” Zurek said, noting that his opinions are his own and do not represent the view or policy of JPL.

Indeed, it might be a stretch for MRO to spot Beagle 2 as it is only a few feet wide.

Late last year, Beagle 2 wreckage was thought found in imagery relayed from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor – claimed by some to show that the craft came close to success. But others in the Mars photo-interpretation community contend that no incontrovertible evidence exists in imagery to support Beagle 2 being discovered.

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