Mars on a Dime

Posted by tourdemars to Mars Express at June 2, 2003 12:00 PM

It's small, lightweight and simple in design. And European scientists hope it will become the little spaceship that could. The European Space Agency launched its first mission to Mars today in the form of a disc-like ship carrying a compact lander named the Beagle 2. The robots' main mission is to find signs of life — past or present — on or just under Mars' surface. The Mars Express mission was put together in record time (five years) and with a humble budget (an estimated $60 million, or nearly eight times less than the production and launch cost of one of NASA's upcoming Mars landers).