A commemorative plaque honouring the groundbreaking Beagle 2 Mars mission, championed by Kingswood space scientist Professor Colin Pillinger, has been unveiled at M Shed.
With a team led by Professor Pillinger, the Beagle 2 lander became the first British and European spacecraft to successfully land on Mars when it touched down on Christmas Day 2003. The mission captured the public imagination with its distinctive mix of science, culture and ambition.
The plaque was unveiled by Shusanah, the daughter of Colin and Judith Pillinger, and Chris Lee, former Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency. Also present was Colin’s sister, local historian Doreen Lindegaard.
It was originally thought that Beagle 2 got lost on its descent to the surface of the red planet but in 2015, imagery from NASA revealed the lander had touched down safely, close to its intended target. Further analysis showed that a partially deployed solar panel had prevented communication back to Earth, confirming that the mission came very close to full operational success.
Professor Colin Pillinger, who was educated at Kingswood Grammar School and Swansea University, was appointed a CBE in 2003 and died in 2014.
Philip Walker, head of culture at Bristol City Council, said: ”Beagle 2 remains one of the most ambitious and inspiring chapters in British space exploration, and we’re proud to recognise Professor Colin Pillinger’s remarkable achievements here at M Shed. We hope the story of Beagle 2 captures the imagination of the Bristol people once again.”
Judith Pillinger, who coined the name Beagle 2 in honour of Charles Darwin’s ship HMS Beagle, said she and Chris Lee had pushed for more recognition of the mission and the landing site.
This had led to 15 red plaques, including one at Aerospace Bristol, being installed at sites across Britain and Europe.
“Colin would be delighted that his home city of Bristol is showcasing the plaques commemorating the successful landing of the mission he led.”
Chris Lee said: “It’s not every city that can claim to have a piece of technology sitting proudly on the surface of another planet. But Bristol can. It was a difficult time for the local space community in the late 1990s but when Colin Pillinger challenged us with his vision for a unique mission, Bristol engineers stepped up.”