Arrival
Mars Express will make preparations to drop Beagle 2 by heading straight for the Red Planet.
The lander will make a fiery plunge through the thin Martian atmosphere protected by a heat shield. As it nears the surface, parachutes will open to slow its descent.
Just before touch down, gas-filled bags will inflate to cushion the landing. Beagle 2 should bounce to a halt on the Isidis basin, a flat boulder-strewn plain.
Meanwhile, Mars Express will fire its main engine and turn away from Mars ready to orbit the planet and begin the hunt for water.
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