R.I.P. Prof. Colin Pillinger

[Rick]

Colin Pillinger dies after brain haemorrhage

British planetary scientist Colin Pillinger, best known for his 2003 attempt to land a spacecraft on Mars, has died aged 70, his family have said.

'Unfinished business'

The space scientist built a probe to search for Martian life, naming it Beagle 2 after Charles Darwin's HMS Beagle.

It was the first time an individual researcher had sent their own vessel into space.

The spacecraft vanished without trace but Prof Pillinger carried on pushing space agencies to complete what he called "unfinished business on Mars"

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27322166

[Rick]

Colin Pillinger: 'The man from Milton Keynes sending a spaceship to Mars'

The space scientist Colin Pillinger has died at the age of 70. BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh looks back at his life.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27325339