Updated 23 January 2004, 16.49

This is Mars Express, on its take-off pad

It blasted off from Kazakhstan in June, carrying the British-built lander, Beagle 2.

Mars Express reached the red planet in December, when Beagle 2 broke free of its mothership and headed for the surface.

What happened to Beagle 2?
Beagle 2 was designed to take pictures and to examine rocks and soil.

This would help us work out whether there was ever life on the planet.

However, no-one's heard from it since it left its mothership - Mars Express.

Repeated efforts to contact it failed. Its fate remains a bit of a mystery.

This is Spirit

So what are Spirit and Opportunity?
They're probes - with the same purpose as Beagle 2 - but they are part of US-led missions, which blasted off in June and July.

Spirit landed on Mars on 3 January. Opportunity touched down on 25 January.

Spirit made great progress at first - managing to get off its landing pod and taking stunning images of the planet's surface.

But it broke down on 21 January.

Scientists have since managed to get it going again for 20 minutes and they're hopeful that they can resolve the problem.

What's happened to Mars Express?
It's orbiting Mars. It's on a two-year mission to map the planet, work out what's beneath the surface and to check out its atmosphere.

It's already started sending back detailed pictures of the planet.

More Info

Spirit rover probe on Mars

Check this space guide

Beagle 2 guide

Mars planet quiz

Try the Beagle 2 quiz

Past Stories
	US scientists contact Mars rover
	US loses contact with Mars rover
	Spirit 'may have landed in mud'
	Mars Express sends amazing image
	US hoping to send a man to Mars
	Attempt to contact Beagle fails

BBC Links
	Win astronomy goodies - Norfolk kids' site