Posted by tourdemars to Mars Express at December 20, 2003 12:00 PM

Beagle 2, the British probe that will seek out life on Mars, was ejected from its mother ship yesterday and started the final leg of its journey. Shortly after 8.30am, the tiny craft left the European Mars Express and was sent spinning towards the Red Planet. If it survives the descent, the £50 million lander will bounce to a stop on Christmas Day and begin searching rocks and soil for traces of microbes. A grainy black and white picture of Beagle 2 drifting through space was captured by Mars Express's camera seconds after separation and sent back to Earth.