British planetary scientist Colin Pillinger dies
Posted: Fri, May 9, 2014, 7:11 AM ET (1111 GMT)
Colin Pillinger, a planetary scientist who led an ill-fated British Mars lander mission more than a decade ago, died this week at age 70. Pillinger suffered a brain hemorrhage in his home and went into a deep coma; he passed away in a Cambridge hospital, his family announced Thursday. Pillinger, who early in his career studied lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions, is best known for leading the development of a small lander called Beagle 2 that flew to Mars with ESA's Mars Express orbiter in 2003. The spacecraft failed to contact Earth after the scheduled landing, and was presumed lost. Despite the failure, the mission elicited string public support in Britain and turned Pillinger into a celebrity and public advocate for space exploration.
Colin Pillinger, a planetary scientist who led an ill-fated British Mars lander mission more than a decade ago, died this week at age 70. Pillinger suffered a brain hemorrhage in his home and went into a deep coma; he passed away in a Cambridge hospital, his family announced Thursday. Pillinger, who early in his career studied lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions, is best known for leading the development of a small lander called Beagle 2 that flew to Mars with ESA's Mars Express orbiter in 2003. The spacecraft failed to contact Earth after the scheduled landing, and was presumed lost. Despite the failure, the mission elicited string public support in Britain and turned Pillinger into a celebrity and public advocate for space exploration.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Retired Air Force officer nominated to be NASA deputy administrator
Posted: Sat, May 10 9:44 AM ET (1344 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, May 11
NASA's Webb Lifts Veil on Common but Mysterious Type of Exoplanet
STScI — 9:50 am ET (1350 GMT) Northrop Grumman to Develop Additional Relay Ground Stations to Support US Space Force’s Next-Generation OPIR Program
Northrop Grumman — 9:50 am ET (1350 GMT) AAC Clyde Space wins EUR 570 000 order for power systems
AAC Clyde Space — 9:47 am ET (1347 GMT) Stratolaunch Successfully Completes Reusable Hypersonic Flight and Recovery with Talon-A2 Vehicle
Stratolaunch Systems — 9:46 am ET (1346 GMT) D-Orbit signs contract with SpaceX for expanded launch capacity on upcoming rideshare missions
D-Orbit — 9:43 am ET (1343 GMT) |
