NASA to send one rover into deep martian crater

NASA to send one roverinto deep martian crater
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars rover Opportunity will be sent into a big crater that could offer clues to the planet's history of water, despite the risk that the craft may not be able to get out, the space agency said Friday.
The potential scientific value of exploring Endurance Crater outweighs the risk that the six-wheeled rover may not be able to drive back up its inner slope, mission officials said.
The decision was made after extensive study of the impact crater as the rover moved along its rim.
Scientists are intrigued with bedrock in the crater that is older than a similar outcrop a half-mile away that Opportunity previously determined formed in a once-wet environment suitable for life.
The earliest Opportunity could be sent into the 140-yard-diameter crater would be early next week, NASA said.
Richard Cook, rover project manager at JPL, said one of the exposed rock layers will require driving only 16-23 feet down into the crater on a 25-degree slope.
Kerry's joke on radio showcauses VP confusion
WASHINGTON -- Just kidding.
John Kerry's joking over his vice presidential choice caused some confusion Friday.
Shortly after Kerry gave an interview with a Detroit radio station Friday morning, rumors started flying that he said he would pick a running mate in a matter of days. The Kerry campaign made things worse when it released what turned out to be an inaccurate transcript of his interview with WJR.
According to the transcript that the Kerry campaign e-mailed to reporters, Kerry was asked to tell who he was considering for vice president.
"Kerry: Yeah, we'll have that done very, very shortly. We've really got most of them in place and we're on the short list and we'll have it done in a matter of days," said the transcript from the campaign.
CNN then reported that Kerry would be making the decision soon. But Kerry's campaign said he was joking with the radio interviewer, and CNN retracted the report. Kerry grinned when told that his interview was taken seriously.
"All you have you do is listen to it," Kerry told reporters aboard his campaign plane. "It was plain [that it was a joke]. Don't ever write about me being dour and sober and somber."
Girl's body recovered
MILWAUKEE -- Firefighters on Friday recovered the second of two sisters who drowned in a rain-swollen Milwaukee River nearly two weeks ago.
The body of Tia Woodley, 6, was spotted by a passerby, fire department Lt. Lawrence Jenkins said. Woodley's sister, Temisha Warren, 12, was recovered from the river Monday.
The girls were playing on a floating dock not far from their home May 23 when Woodley fell into the river and her older sister jumped into the swiftly moving water to try to save her.
'Redneck fun' gone awry
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Three young men told investigators they were having a night of "redneck fun" when one dropped a rock off an overpass, striking a vehicle and killing a passenger.
A judge sent the case to a grand jury Friday after seeing the bowling ball-size rock and hearing emotional testimony from Chris Grande, who was driving the sport utility vehicle when it was hit May 24. His 69-year-old mother-in-law Barbara Weimer was killed.
Matthew Carter, 20, Jeremy Kelley, 22, and Alford Morgan, 21, have been charged with first-degree murder.
Carter and at least one of the other suspects used the term "redneck fun" to describe their activities, Knox County Sheriff's Sgt. Jeanette Harris testified.
Pension bill sparks brawl
TOKYO -- An all night debate in Japan's legislature erupted in brawling early today as opposition parties blocked a vote on a pension reform plan.
The melee at the upper house chamber came as government opponents delayed the vote for more than 17 hours, since the previous afternoon, using a range of tactics.
Security guards could be seen trying to separate lawmakers as they shoved each other up against the walls of the corridor, while other legislators hung their heads in their hands in fatigue.
The deadlock arose over a topic that is set to become a major election issue in next month's contest for the upper house.
The bill would increase citizens' pension premiums while also cutting their benefits. Opinion polls show some 70 percent of voters oppose the new law because of concerns workers won't receive the benefits they deserve upon retirement. The government says it must make the changes to keep the system solvent as Japan's population rapidly ages.
Associated Press