Beagle 2: most detailed images yet of lost Mars lander revealed

New pictures are most detailed images of Mars ever achieved from an orbiting spacecraft and seem to add weight to theory on Beagle 2's final resting place

Astronomers have revealed the most detailed images yet of what is thought to be the landing site of the ill-fated Mars lander, Beagle 2, offering further evidence that the British spacecraft failed to phone-home because of problems following touchdown.

Showing a bright blip in dusty terrain, the new picture is four times the resolution of previous images. The image adds weight to the theory that the diminutive spacecraft - just under a metre in diameter - landed as planned on Mars in 2003, but failed to fully unfurl its solar panels. "Given the size of Beagle 2, even with super-resolution images you are not likely to see more than a series of blobs because it is so small," said Mark Sims, of the University of Leicester and former mission manager for Beagle 2. "What it does show is that it is on the surface and it is at least partially deployed."