19/10/2016 Newsround

Hi guys, Ricky here with your Wednesday afternoon Newsround.

Fingernails are being bitten by space scientists right now,

as they wait to find out if the space robot

Schiaparelli has landed safely on the surface of Mars.

but there's a delay before it makes contact with Earth.

If all goes well, it will be the European Space Agency's first

successful landing on the Red Planet after a failed attempt 13 years ago.

After a journey of 500 million miles, if it works

it'll kick off a mission that experts believe is our greatest

chance yet of finding proof of life on Mars.

So what is Schiaparelli and what it is doing?

Here's five things you need to know about it.

and it's on a mission to land on Mars.

It's travelled 500 million kilometres over seven months

It's the first European probe in 13 years to give it a go.

The last one was the Beagle 2, which lost contact

when it landed in 2003. Oh, dear!

Schiaparelli is a fancy name for a lander, right?

It's been named after an Italian astronomer called

Something that's trickier than pronouncing Schiaparelli

It has to travel through temperatures

Then it'll use a parachute and rockets to help to slow down

After the landing, the satellite that took Schiaparelli

there, before separating, will study Mars'satmosphere.

The Trace Gas Orbiter will look for things like methane gas,

which could give clues to whether there's life on the Red Planet.

One of the key jobs of this mission is to look for signs of past

Last weekend, Tim Peake told Newsround he thinks intelligent life

So could something be living on Mars?

We asked our friendly neighbourhood space scientist, Tim O'Brien.

I'm not sure about intelligent life but there could be life on Mars. The

other part of the mission happening today is another spacecraft is

coming into orbit around Mars designed to look for gases like

methane, thought to be produced by life, maybe microbes. They may even

exist now below the surface of Mars. We will keep you updated.

When was the last time you saw a hedgehog?

Last week? Last month?

Well, research carried out by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust has

found there has been a huge drop in the number

Sanctuaries like this one just go to show the problems these little

Anne has about 80 to 90 hedgehogs here,

They come from various sources. People usually bring them to us.

They have abandoned babies who have wandered off on their own and got

lost. Injuries through netting. We also have the sick ones found in

gardens. We try to get them to wait as soon as possible and then we

release them. We have got a hole down here.

Ten-year-old Daisy is one of the many people

from across the UK doing their bit to help the hedgehogs.

It is important to take care of hedgehogs because they are

endangered and I want them to be around when I'm older. I've been

making it like some work where the hedgehogs can live and stay and get

some food and hibernate. For example, I have made some houses and

given them water and food and worms. And my age who wants to do it, I

would say, yes, they can do it, because the more help we can have

the more hedgehogs there. These furry fellas are getting

ready for tonight's Their owner has re-created the GBBO

set especially for them, complete with teeny cake mixers

and miniature cakes. Beverly Borrill has created more

than 20 different hamster-size settings, including a mini

ballet studio, swimming She says Strictly Come Dancing

is next! Please do our studio. We are back in

the morning. Goodbye.