An illustration released by the European Space Agency showing the Schiaparelli lander. Photo: ESA/ReutersImages taken by a NASA Mars orbiter indicate that a missing European space probe was destroyed on impact after plummeting to the surface of the Red Planet from a height of 2-4km, the European Space Agency says. It was only the second European attempt to land a craft on Mars, after a failed mission by the British landing craft Beagle 2 in 2003. ESA scientists have been poring over data that the Schiaparelli lander transmitted before its signal was lost, to look for clues as to what happened. The space agency said that NASA's orbiter would take pictures with its highest-resolution camera next week, which may provide further clues.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 21, 2016 19:30 UTC