Enlarge imageCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA has postponed the launch of its second Mars rover at least until Wednesday because of problems with the cork insulation protecting the rocket that will carry the robot into space.
"Based on the amount of time this work will require, launch has been rescheduled for Wednesday, July 2," said NASA spokesman George Diller.
The launch team is targeting 11:17 p.m. EDT (4:17 a.m. on Thursday) for liftoff of the Delta 2 rocket carrying the rover.
The launch was originally set for late Saturday night but was delayed when a fishing boat wandered into a restricted area near the seaside launch pad. NASA stopped the countdown again shortly after midnight because of strong crosswinds in Florida and had hoped to try again on Sunday night.
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That was ruled out when workers found the cork lining in the first stage of the Delta 2 rocket was not sticking to the rocket’s aluminium skin. The gap might have allowed heat through the cork insulation that is designed to protect sensitive instruments.
Diller said about 10 percent of the insulation will need to be replaced.
The same problem was found in the rocket last week and the cork was replaced.
The rocket holds the second of two rovers, golf-cart sized robots built to spend at least three months exploring the Martian surface for evidence of long-vanished water sources.
The second Mars rover, nicknamed Opportunity, is set to join its twin, Spirit, which launched on June 10, on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet.
They are expected to arrive in early January. The mission is designed to learn whether water existed on the surface of Mars long enough for life to evolve there.
The six-wheeled rovers have the ability to scoop up soil and drill into rocks, then examine the samples.
Data will be sent back to Earth for analysis by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where the mission control will be located.
The twin missions will join European and Japanese spacecraft already on their way to Mars.
All of the missions are taking advantage of a rare proximity between the planets. With just 85 million miles to go, Mars is making its closest approach to Earth this summer in 15,000 years. That cuts the normal travel time from nine or 10 months to seven.
