Daresbury plays key role in Mars mission (From Warrington Guardian)

Daresbury plays key role in Mars mission

RUNCORN based scientists played in a key role in the building of the troubled Beagle 2 Mars probe.

The Daresbury Lab engineers made sure the batteries worked in the cold Martian weather.

Martian nights reach around minus 80 degrees.

Unfortunately, the British built probe has not made contact with mission control since it landed early on Christmas Day.

Daresbury press officer Tony Buckley said: "Whatever has happened to Beagle, its batteries are in the right place and are probably working - it would just be nice if we would speak to it.

"I think everyone who is interested in the British in space, not just the people working on it, want it to be found and produce some worthwhile results.

"But I think Beagle has already put UK science not just on a world stage, but an interplanetary one."

The Daresbury research was done by Dave Emmerson with Rob Barber.

Power

They ran computer simulations to see how much power the batteries would lose in the cold, depending on where they were fitted in the probe.

The simulations were combined with research done on a model at Daresbury's sister site in Oxfordshire.

The model was subjected to the same low pressures and temperatures it would experience on Mars.

Beagle 2 is the fist probe sent to Mars specifically to look for signs of life and is part of the Mars Express mission.