Hirst, Blur and Ferrari on Rocket to Mars

A Russian rocket last night lifted a Damien Hirst painting, a Blur tape and a blob of Team Ferrari's unique red into space and sent them sailing across the void on a 250 million mile journey to Mars.

Along with them went a lump of metal the size of an old-fashioned refrigerator and a lander the size of a portable barbecue. Mars Express, built by the European Space Agency - and its passenger Beagle 2 - will arrive at the red planet after a six month voyage made possible by an accident of planetary orbits: in August, Mars and the Earth will be closer to each other than at any time in the last 16 years.

Mars Express will go into orbit and next year begin the most detailed study of the Martian rocks so far - and the first "in depth" look below the surface with ground penetrating radar. Beagle 2, assembled at the Open University at Milton Keynes, carries instruments to probe up to a metre below the surface, and "sniff" for molecules that might be linked with life.

Both missions were put together on tight budgets - the European Space Agency quotes a cost of £216m. Mars Express carries a tiny glass bulb of the paint used by the Formula 1 winning racing team Ferrari.

When Beagle 2 lands on Mars on Christmas Day it will signal back to earth with a little nine note signal composed by the Britpop band Blur. Later, it will calibrate its cameras with a spot painting by Hirst.

Only three sets of instruments have landed on Mars and so many missions have failed that scientists speak of the "curse of Mars". But Mars Express and Beagle 2 are to be followed by two US robot landers and one Japanese orbiter.