Mars probe enters atmosphere; word on landing awaited
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Employees sat in the contol center of the European Space Agency (ESA) inDarmstadt, Germany, today.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An artist impression of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) right, and its entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, Schiaparelli, center, approaching Mars.
BERLIN » The European Space Agency says its experimental probe has entered the atmosphere of Mars but it doesn’t yet have confirmation that the craft touched down.
Don McCoy, the ExoMars project manager, said some data had been received from the Schiaparelli lander confirming its entry today and the deployment of its parachute — but it was too early to say more about the state of the lander at this stage.
At the same time, ESA put Schiaparelli’s mother ship, the Trace Gas Orbiter, into orbit around the red planet.
Landing a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously difficult and several past missions have failed, including the European Space Agency’s previous attempt in 2003 with the rover Beagle 2. It made it to Mars but its solar panels didn’t unfold properly.
