ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander arrive at Mars, Oct. 19, 2016
The lander separated from the orbiter three days before reaching Mars, and the orbiter is still searching for methane; the thrusters, officials suspect, never fired.
On air: Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger on The Midday ShowPublished
Updated · aired 2 times
At a glance
- First reported by Space.com: “On this day in space! Oct. 19, 2016: Europe's ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander arrive at Mars”, with reporting from Archyde.
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:12 PM ET on The Midday Show, by Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger; aired 2 times.
- Topics: Mars, Europe.
- BBN covered this story before: Floating 'spoon' on Mars turns out to be a wind-shaped rock (October 20).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOn October nineteenth, twenty-sixteen, Europe's ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander reached Mars, according to Space.com.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe lander had been bolted to the orbiter with twenty-seven screws.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTwenty-seven screws, and I bet every one of them held for three days. Frankly, they're the only ones who showed up.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRoll it. This is NASA's, sorry, the European Space Agency's footage, from orbit. Cratered ground, with ridges running across it.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorLook at this, dark streaks, a close-up of one crater. Nobody down there is being held accountable for anything.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNow the wide shot, layered terrain, more ridges. Officials suspect the lander never fired its descent thrusters, and a data glitch was cited.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo the screws did everything right?
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTwenty-seven screws held for the whole trip. The thrusters had one job.
Also on air
The story so far
- Study finds most of Europe's wild bee species in decline · The Guardian
- Japan launches mission to collect rocks from Mars's moon Phobos · The Guardian
- Japan plans first mission to collect rocks from Mars moon · Breitbart
- Google Reports Cloud Disruptions in Europe Region · The New York Times
- Americans who moved to Europe over politics now regret it · Wired
- Floating 'spoon' on Mars turns out to be a wind-shaped rock · BBC Sky at Night Magazine
- ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander arrive at Mars, Oct. 19, 2016 (this story)
- Major websites in US and Europe go dark over hacker threat · New York Post
- Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard; student protests spread… · AP News
- The latest: Trump rally, Omar, Phobos, Ohtani, Huggins · Al Jazeera
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