E-Bulletin: University of Leicester

The University of Leicester has been involved in Space operations since the early 60s and now houses Europe’s biggest academic space research center. The University is also a co-founder of the £52m National Space Centre in Leicester, which is sponsored by the Millennium Commission.

This mission to Mars is an historic occasion for the University, which has played a major role in the Development of the Beagle 2 Lander probe, part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Mission. Beagle 2 is due to land on Mars at Christmas 2003, and will carry out tests to establish whether there is life on the red planet.

The operation has been an immense collaboration between academia and industry Europe-wide, led by the Open University.

The University of Leicester Space Research Centre has been heavily involved in constructing the PAW instrument – Beagle 2’s hands and eyes – and Beagle 2 operations will be managed by University scientists and engineers in the Lander Operations Control Centre at the National Space Centre.

In this pack you will find:

University of Leicester Involvement in Beagle 2 - a concise summary
Mission to Mars – an overview of the part the University of Leicester has played in Beagle 2
A Triumph of Collaboration – principal partners involved in Beagle 2
Ready to Dig the Dirt on Mars & The PAW – a closer look at PAW, with Europe-wide contact details
XRS – the X-Ray Spectrometer – designed and developed by scientists at the University of Leicester Space Research Centre
Dateline Leicester – A Space Odyssey – Space research at the University, 1961-2003
Beagle 2 Lander Operations Control Centre – the team, the tasks, the techniques
Mars Facts – technical information
Can Biosensors Find Life on Mars? – The development of sensors planned to fly in a future robotic Mars exploration
Space odyssey meets ER – A look at the University’s Bioimaging Centre, where Space research leads to some unexpected developments here on Earth
£3.7million Project to Enhance University of Leicester’s Research Facilities – Further investment in the University’s Space Research Centre
Queen’s Anniversary Prize – In 1994 the University was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen for the quality of research in Physics & Astronomy
University of Leicester Space Scientists See the Funny Side of Mars – a piece of Martian meteorite for the winner of a Beagle 2 caption competition