Colin Pillinger
He led Britain's audacious, shoestring mission to land a spacecraft on Mars, capturing the public imagination with a blend of science and showmanship.
1943–2014 (age 71)·English planetary scientist·Birthday: May 9·The Silent Generation
Biography
Colin Pillinger was a planetary scientist who operated with the zeal of a prospector and the public appeal of a television presenter. His career was built on analyzing extraterrestrial material, most notably a group of Martian meteorites from which his team controversially claimed to have found evidence of past life. But his defining project was Beagle 2, a tiny, budget-conscious Mars lander shaped like a pocket watch. Pillinger, with his distinctive West Country accent and bushy sideburns, became the charismatic face of the mission, rallying public support and cobbling together funding from private sponsors and even a reality TV show. Though Beagle 2 vanished on Christmas Day 2003, its loss cemented Pillinger's legacy as a passionate advocate who made planetary science a national conversation and proved that grand cosmic ambitions didn't require a NASA-sized wallet.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Colin was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2014Died at 71
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Served as principal investigator for the Beagle 2, the United Kingdom's first mission to attempt a soft landing on Mars.
- Led research on the famous ALH 84001 Martian meteorite, contributing to the debate over potential signs of ancient Martian life.
- Was a founding member of the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute at The Open University.
- Successfully raised significant private and public funding for the Beagle 2 project through innovative public engagement.
Did You Know?
The Beagle 2 lander was named after the ship HMS Beagle, which carried Charles Darwin.
He appeared on the British reality TV show 'Celebrity Big Brother' in 2001 to raise awareness and funds for the Beagle 2 mission.
Pillinger was a skilled blacksmith and kept a forge at his home.
Before his planetary science career, he worked at the University of Bristol analyzing Moon rocks from the Apollo missions.
“We're not just going to Mars, we're going to answer the question that every man, woman and child wants to know: has there been life on Mars?”
