Beagle 3 To The Moon? No Chance.
New chance for Beagle as Nasa favours mission to the moon, The Guardian
“Nasa has given preliminary approval for a successor to the British-based Beagle 2 space mission that crash-landed on Mars on Christmas Day 2003. The Beagle to the Moon mission would search for water supplies on the surface that could support astronauts living on a future moon base. It would reuse many of the designs for instruments that flew on the ill-fated Mars mission. Nasa has given the go-ahead for a study into adapting Beagle 2 for a moon landing. If it formally approves the mission next year, it could launch in 2012.”
NASA gives Beagle 2 another shot at glory, The Register
“Now it seems the space agency has relented and agreed to give Beagle and Pillinger another chance. It has okayed a feasibility study that would work out how to adapt the lander for lunar exploration. The hope is that Beagle 2 could dig into the lunar surface and find water ice.”
Editor’s note: According to NASA sources there is no truth to this story.
Beagle 3 on MSL?, earlier post (2004)
Editor’s note: Now I have seen everything. For years Colin Pillinger dumped on the U.S. and the way it builds spacecraft. Then he crashes his spacecraft on Mars – most likely because he cut too many corners – and his country loses faith in him. Now he tries to get a ride on a U.S. Mars mission due to lack of enthusiasm back home. What a hypocrite.