Instrumentation on Beagle 2: The Astro-Biology Lander on ESA's 2003 Mars Express Mission

摘要

The instrumentation on the 60kg Beagle 2 lander for ESA's 2003 Mars Express mission will be described. Beagle 2 will be search for organic material on and below the surface of Mars in addition to a study of the inorganic chemistry and mineralogy of the landing site. The lander will utilise acquisition and preparation tools to obtain samples from below the surface, and both under and inside rocks. In situ analysis will include examination of samples with an optical microscope, Mossbauer and fluorescent X-ray spectrometers. Extracted samples will be returned to the lander for analysis, in particular a search for organics and a measurement of their isotopic composition. The experiment configuration and design will be described along with the status of the project.