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
|
|
SpaceX performs two Falcon 9 launches less than an hour apart
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) Virgin Galactic delays resumption of commercial flights to 2027
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 19
First spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
ESA — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) Satellite images show damage after a Ukrainian missile strike on a space center supporting Russia's Starlink rival
Business Insider — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Space Force Selects Rocket Lab For Space Data Network Consortium, Awarded $12M in Contracts to Support Global Military Communications Network
Rocket Lab — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) USSF to Operate Legacy Weather Sats Until at Least 2028 as It Works on Replacements
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) AFA Urges Congress to Fully Fund Space Force, Ramp Up F-35 Procurement
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) |
