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Beagle 2 Official Inquiry Released

Posted by timothy on from the unfortunately-only-lassie-can-read-it dept.

smasch writes "The ESA/UK Commission of Inquiry into Beagle 2 has released their report (PDF) on why the Mars lander Beagle 2 failed. While the report does not name a single cause for the failure, it does name several problems including the lack of funding, lack of margin in the design, and treating Beagle 2 as a scientific instrument rather than as a spacecraft. The report also made nineteen recommendations to prevent these sorts of failures on future missions. We have previously mentioned the Beagle 2 failure, although the official report was not released to the public at that time. The original story from MarsToday.com is available here."

4 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Sod 'em by RobertTaylor · · Score: 5, Informative

    A good q & a on the inquiry

    Professor Pillinger rejected the inquiry's findings as "wisdom after the event". He said: "The gains we could have made from Beagle far outweighed the risks."

  2. Re:Spaceward Ho by British-idiot · · Score: 4, Informative

    WTF? Cusy jobs for scientists and engineers working for the government in the UK? Scientists held in respect by their society? Fuck me! I've been working my guts out in private industry when I could go and work for that nice Mr. Bliar and be well paid and loved. Hint for non-UK residents: London Tube underground train drivers earn more that most engineers and scientists do in the UK. The hardest thing those blokes have to do is to remember to press the dead-mans pedal every few seconds!

    --
    British, stupid, and proud of it :-)
  3. Freedom of Information Act request by NewScientist by alanw · · Score: 4, Informative
    The only reason that the report was released was that New Scientist Magazine made a request under the UK Freedom of Information Act that came into effect at the start of this year

    The article can be read here

  4. Re:Just a guess. by FrostedWheat · · Score: 3, Informative

    That crater isn't believed to have been caused by Beagle 2. It's to large.

    Here is the official site for details about that image: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2004/08/31/