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University of Leicester space scientists see the funny side of Mars

September 25, 2003

National competition offers fragment of Mars meteorite.

Scientists at the University of Leicester are offering a piece of real Martian Meteorite ...to anyone who can make them laugh the loudest!

One of the key teams behind the Beagle 2 Mars Mission, which is led by the Open University, has launched a national competition to find the most amusing caption for an image on their site.
The competition, posted on a Beagle 2 site at the University of Leicester, aims to raise awareness of, and involvement in, the UK's pioneering space odyssey.

The European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission took off on June 2. On board is Beagle 2, the UK's Mars Lander probe due to land on Christmas Day, which has the primary scientific aim of searching for evidence of life on the Red Planet.

The University of Leicester has played a major role in constructing the PAW instrument- the Position Adjustable Workbench - which represents the 'hands and eyes' of Beagle 2.

Positioned by a robotic arm, it will examine and collect samples of Martian rock and soil for analysis by the Open University's GAP instrument -the Gas Analysis Package.

Beagle 2 operations will be conducted by University of Leicester scientists and engineers in the Lander Operations Control Centre at the £52m National Space Centre, co-founded by the University of Leicester.

This team will work in collaboration with the Lander Operations Planning Centre at the Open University, the lead organisation for Beagle 2 where the science operations will be planned and data analysis performed.

A vital function of the control centre is to test and verify all the commands sent to the probe, using the engineering replica of Beagle 2 which is mounted inside the Lander Operations Control Centre on a panoramic layout of the landing site.

Duncan Ross, Head of the Electronics Workshop at the University of Leicester Space Research Centre, said: "The University of Leicester's involvement in the Mars mission is the latest achievement in over 30 years' space exploration by Leicester scientists who have positioned the University as one of Europe's leading academic centres for space research."

"Beagle 2 has been a challenging project for all the participating team members. There have however been occasions that have raised a smile or two. The picture below is ripe for a humorous caption and we challenge people to make us smile!"

The competition is open to all UK residents until midnight, December 24, 2003. The first prize is a mounted and certified fragment of a real Martian Meteorite, plus a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) to the National Space Centre in Leicester including entry to the Space Theatre. Other prizes are also on offer.

Leicester, University of