NASA fixes rocket to launch second Mars rover

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA said it will launch a second Mars rover on Saturday after officials repaired the rocket that will send the craft up.

The decision to go with the launch was made after NASA workers replaced a band of cork insulation on the Delta rocket, George Diller, a NASA spokesman at the Kennedy Space Center, said Tuesday.

The launch was set for 10:56 p.m. Saturday.

The first Mars rover was launched earlier this month.

During their three-month exploration of Mars, the rovers will act as robotic geologists. Each is equipped with a panoramic camera, a camera for close-ups of rocks and a drill to cut into rocks. The data will be transmitted back to Earth.