Europe's Mars Lander separated from its mothership Friday, heading for touchdown on the Red Plane Christmas day (first Mars photo from Mars Express, below). Michael McKay, mission manager for the Mars Express, confirmed the separation just after 6:00 am EST. Beagle-2 is on its way to search for signs of life on the fourth rock from the sun.

A team of engineers from Northrop Grumman Corporation and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville (AL) have demonstrated that a new, specially designed fuel tank made from composite materials can safely hold and contain liquid hydrogen under simulated launch conditions. The tests were conducted Nov. 22 at the Marshall Center, as part of NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program, an ongoing effort to develop and mature technologies required for a next generation reusable launch vehicle. Liquid hydrogen is an essential but highly volatile fuel used in the combustion process that propels rockets.  It must be stored and used at -423 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that causes most materials to become quite brittle.