Curiosity (rover) no chance of obtaining funds in Europe, at that time, of the scale previously considered necessary for a Mars rover, so the team used innovative methods to reduce the cost to less than 4% of the cost of the "Curiosity" mission. They also had only one shot, with no funding for repeat missions (it was named "Beagle 2" as a successor to , not to an earlier rover). It was considered a large risk, and, although "Beagle 2" did successfully survive its entry, descent, and landing, incomplete deployment of the solar panels hampered communication back to Earth. The team has
Gliese 687 Gliese 687 Gliese 687, or GJ 687 "(Gliese–Jahreiß 687)" is a red dwarf in the constellation Draco. This is one of the closest stars to the Sun and lies at an approximate distance of less than 15 light years. Even though it is close by, it has a magnitude of about 9, so it can only be seen through a moderately sized telescope. Gliese 687 has a high proper motion, advancing 1.304 arcseconds per year across the sky. It has a net relative velocity of about 39 km/s. It is known to have a Neptune-mass planet. Gliese 687 has about