BBC Two Follows Open University Professor’s Mission to Mars

Professor Colin Pillinger is a man with a mission – a mission to Mars. He’s come a long way, but still has a mammoth journey ahead of him. BBC cameras have followed his story for over two years for a film, Beagle 2: Mission to Mars , to be shown on Monday, July 23 at 11.20pm (BBC TWO).

Colin Pillinger, one of the world’s leading planetary scientists, is from the Open University. In 1997 he heard about European Space Agency (ESA) plans to send a spacecraft to Mars, leaving Earth in June 2003. Pillinger had a fantastic idea – to hitch a 250 million-mile lift on Mars Express for a small lander which could be launched onto the planet.