| LAUNCH DATE |
NAME |
DESTINATION |
COUNTRY |
MISSION DETAILS |
MAIN ACHIEVEMENT |
CURRENT STATUS |
| 1st February 2003 |
Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) |
Earth |
USA
 |
Columbia's 28th mission was to be
its last when, after completing a 15 day mission in Earth orbit, the craft
disintegrated during re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere. The seven
crew members all lost their lives and NASA's shuttle program was placed on
hold for two years. During launch, a piece of insulating foam broke off, meaning that the craft wasn't properly
insulated during re-entry. The build up of heat caused the craft to break
up. |
. |
This was Columbia's last
mission. The shuttle program still continues, although with less
regular launches. The remaining four shuttles are expected to be retired
in 2010. |
| 2nd June 2003 |
Mars Express |
Mars |
Europe
 |
The European Space Agency's first attempt at
planetary exploration. Mars Express consisted of two parts, an orbiter
(named Mars Express Orbiter) and a lander (named Beagle 2). Many of the
instruments on Mars Express were designed for the failed Mars 96 mission. Mars Express
arrived at Mars on 25th December 2003 and Beagle 2 was released into the
planet's atmosphere on the same day. However, contact was lost with Beagle
2 and attempts to locate it have been unsuccessful. It was eventually
declared lost on 6th February 2004.The Mars Express orbiter has been
extremely successful and is still sending back information about the
planet, including evidence of underground water-ice. |
The first European attempt at planetary
exploration. |
Lander lies inactive somewhere on the surface of
Mars. The orbiter is still operational in Mars orbit. |
| 10th June 2003 |
Spirit
(Mars Exploration Rover A) |
Mars |
USA
|
Spirit is one of two American rovers that
arrived on Mars in January 2004, just after Europe's Beagle 2 should have
landed there. Originally intended to last for 91 Martian days (a day on
Mars is about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth), Spirit has operated
for over 1000 Martian days and is still going strong. It completed its
primary mission on 28th April 2004 and is now in extended mission phase.
Spirit successfully landed on Mars on 4th January 2004 in the Gusev
Crater, an area once thought to be a lake. Spirit has been examining the
effects that the presence of water many millions of years ago would have
had on Mars. Spirit (and Opportunity) took DVDs to Mars containing the
names of 4 million people from Earth. Let's hope the Martians have a DVD
player to view them! |
. |
Still active on the surface of Mars |
| 7th July 2003 |
Opportunity
(Mars Exploration Rover B) |
Mars |
USA
|
Opportunity reached Mars about 3 weeks after its
twin rover, Spirit. It landed on the opposite side of the planet in an
area called Meridiani Planum on 25th July 2004. The rover landed in a
crater, getting scientists extremely excited! Seeing this as being like a
good golf shot, they named the crater the "Eagle Crater".
Primary mission objectives were completed in the 90 Mars days the rover
was set to last for, and it is now in extended mission phase. At one
point, its mission nearly ended because it got stuck in a sand dune, but
it was successfully freed and, as of October 2006, it has travelled nearly
six miles. |
. |
Still active on the surface of Mars. |
| 27th September 2003 |
SMART 1 |
Moon |
Europe
|
A Swedish-designed (meaning it came flat-packed
and had to be assembled!) European orbiter of the Moon. The craft was
actually put into an orbit of Earth, getting more distant as it completed
each orbit until it eventually got close enough to the Moon to be able
enter Lunar orbit in early November 2004. The mission was designed to test
new equipment in space and also to examine the Moon for signs of water. On
3rd September 2006, it was deliberately crashed into the Moon, kind of
simulating a small meteor impact. The plume of dust that was thrown up from the
impact could be seen by Earth-based telescopes. It is hoped that the
impact also exposed materials that would usually be buried under the
Moon's surface. |
SMART 1 was the first European mission to the
Moon. |
SMART 1's mission ended when the craft impacted
the Moon's surface on command on 3rd September 2006. Data from the mission
is still being analysed. |
| 2nd August 2004 |
Messenger |
Venus and Mercury |
USA
|
On course to
Mercury to discover more about the formation of the planet. The spacecraft
has completed a flyby of Earth and is on its way to Venus where it will
fly by the planet twice, then go to Mercury, flying by Mercury twice
before being entered into orbit around the planet, estimated at around
March 2011. |
. |
En route to
Mercury. |
