This picture shows the area within Isidis Planitia where scientists hope Beagle 2 will land. The orange oval is where they hope the lander will touch down. The oval is 174 km (108 miles) long.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy European Space Agency (ESA) - Illustration by Medialab
Mars Express Landing Site - Isidis Planitia
The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a mission to Mars in
June of 2003. The mission is called "Mars Express". The Mars
Express spacecraft has two parts. One part will orbit Mars
for at least one Martian year. A year
on Mars lasts 687 Earth days, so it is longer than a year on Earth.
The second part of Mars Express is a lander named "Beagle 2". Beagle 2 landed on Mars on Christmas day in 2003.
The Beagle 2 lander will look for life on the surface of Mars. Beagle 2 landed in a flat area called "Isidis Planitia" that is inside an old crater. There may have been a lake inside the crater many years ago. Scientist hope that Beagle 2 will find life on Mars. Scientists don't know whether Mars has or not. If Mars does have life, it is probably some kind of microbe that lives in water. So scientists are looking for water on Mars. If Isidis Planitia had water, it will be a good place to look for life.
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