Europe’s Mars Express has arrived in orbit around Mars, but there is no word yet from Beagle 2.
Reuters is already writing off the whole mission, though. Umm, guys? The controllers are expecting it to take a couple of days to establish contact, so don’t be so hasty. Oh, and another thing — Mars Express isn’t a rocket, it’s a spacecraft. A rocket, strictly speaking, is a propulsive device, or more loosely, a launch vehicle or weapon powered by same.
Unfortunately most journalists, even those reporting on technical issues, are about as scientifically literate as the average reader. How many times did you read about the Columbia “explosion”?