Where is beagle 2

The image adds weight to the theory that the diminutive spacecraft - just under a metre in diameter - landed as planned on Mars in , but failed to fully unfurl its solar panels. But after leaving the mother craft it failed to make contact with Earth , leading to speculation that the lander had crashed.

Now researchers at University College, London, have improved the resolution of the HiRISE images, to produce the most detailed pictures of Mars ever achieved from an orbiting spacecraft.

While each HiRISE image has a resolution of around 25cm, the technique allowed the team to produce images of the Martian landscape with a resolution of just 5cm, allowing much finer detail to be observed than ever before. Instead, it indicates that the landing went to plan and at least three of its four solar panels opened successfully. The analysis also suggests that the probe may even have worked for several months, but was unable to send its data back to Earth.

Prof Mark Sims of Leicester University, who commissioned the study, told BBC News that there is an extremely small possibility that Beagle 2 might still be working on the Martian surface.

He agrees that the new evidence suggests that Beagle 2 took lots of scientific data but was unable to send it back. It turned out to be a very lonely time for the lander at the surface," he said. The mission was charismatically led by the late Prof Colin Pillinger.

The spacecraft was capable of collecting soil samples and analysing them for signs of organic molecules associated with life in a miniaturised on-board laboratory. Disappointingly, no signal was received on Christmas Day. The search for a response from Beagle 2 continued for several months but the spacecraft was never heard from again.

The spacecraft took pictures which seemed to indicate that the spacecraft landed as planned and some of its solar panels had opened. In the new detailed analysis, Nick Higgett and his team at De Montfort University not only confirmed this but also indicated that Beagle 2 had deployed at least three of its solar panels - with the fourth and final panel possibly beginning to open. The technique is based on simulating possible configurations of the lander on the surface and comparing the amount of sunlight that reflects off the simulated lander with real pictures taken from Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The researchers then identified which landing configuration of one, two, three or four solar panels opened was the best fit. It is a great pity the communications didn't work and we didn't get the science back.

Meanwhile the Beagle 2 team continues to explore all possible ways to reflying the Beagle 2 lander to Mars. Beagle 2. Contact us : beagle2 office ………………… Mars newsletter subscription » click on the link to sign up to receive email summaries of news from the media centre as developments occur.

The webcast of the public meeting on 8th March is accessible from this page. Mars Express website » track progress of the Mars Express orbiter. Landing timeline » Beagle 2 was due to land on Mars on 25th December