Falling Foam Causes Concern

A chunk of foam that fell off a rocket forced the European Space Agency to delay the launch of a comet lander Friday for the second straight day. The Rosetta probe -- meant to be the first spacecraft to land on a comet -- had been scheduled to blast off from Kourou, French Guiana, on an Ariane-5 rocket 24 hours after high winds in the upper atmosphere delayed a first attempt. But scientists called off the start of the 10-year journey after discovering the 4-by-6-inch piece of insulation during a routine inspection of the launch pad. Fearing that ice could form over the hole left in the insulation and strike part of the rocket if it broke off after launch, scientists decided to repair the damage and aim instead for a launch on Tuesday or Wednesd

Rover Prepares to Explore More of Mars   

The Opportunity rover temporarily stowed its robotic arm and cleared a six-inch bump on its way to taking another bite out of the martian surface, NASA said.  Over the weekend, the six-wheeled robot ground into the upper part of a rocky outcrop dubbed "El Capitan," then take extensive measurements, NASA said late Friday. Last week, the rover drilled into a different section of the glossy formation that has intrigued scientists.  "El Capitan" has been the rover's primary interest for several days. The outcrop, about the height of a street curb, rings a portion of the crater in which the robot is maneuvering.