"I can only praise the crew for their courage and their great spirit, " said Dr Martin Zell from the European Space Agency, which was a major sponsor on the project.

BBC: Simulated Mars mission 'lands' back on Earth

Canonical is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu project and the leading provider of support services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise.

ENGADGET: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin hits the web, with HUD in tow