Posted by tourdemars to Mars Express at November 30, 2002 12:00 PM

The University of Leicester has successfully completed construction and test of the flight Model PAW, the 'eyes and hand' of the Beagle 2 Mars lander. The Beagle 2 project aims to send a UK-led lander to Mars in December 2003 as part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Mission, due for launch at the end of May 2003. The robotic lander, controlled remotely from Earth, will sample the soil, rocks and atmosphere of Mars in its search for signs of past and present life. In addition it will examine the detailed geology and environment of the landing site (Isidis Planitia).