Europe's Schiaparelli lander did not behave as expected as it headed down to the surface of Mars on Wednesday. Telemetry data recovered from the probe during its descent indicates that its parachute was jettisoned too early. The rockets it was supposed to use to bring itself to a standstill just above the ground also appeared to fire for too short a time. The European Space Agency (ESA) has not yet conceded that the lander crashed but the mood is not positive. It is necessarily a high-speed approach that has to be just right or the spacecraft runs the risk of smashing into the ground.

The European Space Agency (Esa) is getting ready to put a probe on Mars. Its Schiaparelli robot will attempt the risky descent to the surface in the coming hours, after a 500 million km journey from Earth. The touchdown is regarded as a dress rehearsal for a much more important venture in four years' time when Esa will bid to place a very expensive rover on the planet. This six-wheeled vehicle will drill beneath the surface to search for life. Getting the smaller Schiaparelli robot down ought to be the simpler affair.