Beagle - Colin Pillinger Frs

'We are on our way to Mars, and no one can take that away from us . . .'Britain is going to Mars. Beagle 2 - a space lander shaped like a clam and no larger than a portable barbecue - is about to make history. Named after HMS Beagle, the ship in which Charles Darwin travelled around the world, Beagle 2 has hitched a ride aboard the European Space Agency Mars Express. On reaching the red planet, this tiny British space probe is designed to answer one big question: is there, or was there, life on Mars?'It is quite remarkable how little has changed in terms of exploring a planet, whether it be Earth or Mars, in 170 odd years . . .'In Beagle, Colin Pillinger explores the remarkable similarities between these two historic ships, the sailing ship and the spaceship, and their great voyages of exploration. Both were at the forefront of technology for their respective generations. HMS Beagle led to the discovery of the secret of life on Earth - can Beagle 2 possibly do the same for Mars?'There was nothing I wouldn't have done to raise money for Beagle . . .'Professor Colin Pillinger conceived the Beagle 2 lander project back in 1997, and as consortium leader and lead scientist he has been involved in all stages of design, building and testing of the spacecraft. A tireless advocate for this remarkable mission, he is uniquely qualified to explore the background to this extraordinary bid to land on Mars - and explain how he enlisted the help of not only countless scientists and engineers, but also the rock band Blur and the artist Damien Hirst.