Jun 2 2003
From The Space Library
ESA launched its Mars Express mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz-Fregat rocket. Mars Express consisted of ESA's Mars Orbiter and a 65-kilogram (143.3-pound) lander, Beagle 2, named in honor of the ship that Charles Darwin sailed on during his search for the origins of life. The orbiter, scheduled to reach Mars in December, carried multiple cameras, spectrometers, and radar equipment. Following the launch, ESA Director of Science David J. Southwood remarked that its success signified Europe's official entry into the interplanetary travel club. (Spacewarn Bulletin, no. 596, 1 July 2003, http://nssdc.GSFC.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spx596.html, (accessed 12 December 2008); Agence France-Presse, “Europe Launches First Ever Mars Space Mission,” 3 June 2003.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
