This event took place on 19th December 2002 at 10:30am (10:30 GMT)
Berrill Lecture Theatre, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Beagle 2 ? the British lander craft that will search for signs of life on Mars ? is being assembled in a specially-designed facility at the Open University.
With the team preparing to close the lander lid, the media was invited to see work in progress at this event on Thursday, December 19 ? providing the ONLY opportunity for the media to see Beagle 2. The sample collection tools and scientific instruments inside the lander will not be seen again until it opens on Mars in December 2003.
Many of the people who have worked on Beagle 2 over the past five years were also invited. A walk through the facility?s VIP viewing area was arranged for the media and other guests.
Beagle 2 will be launched in May 2003 as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express Mission.
As Mars Express approaches Mars at the end of 2003, Beagle 2 will be ejected from the orbiter and land, by means of a system of parachutes and gas-filled bags, on the surface of the planet. The instrument package on board Beagle 2 will analyse subsurface soil, rock interior and atmospheric samples to seek for signs of past or present life on the red planet.
Beagle 2 ? the British lander craft that will search for signs of life on Mars ? is being assembled in a specially-designed facility at the Open University.
Click below to play the event (50 minutes)