Is Life the Rule or the Exception? Some scientists have theorized that life on Earth began when amino acids, the building blocks of life, were delivered from space by comets and asteroids. The European Space Agency is planning two missions to help gather more evidence. Rosetta, due for launch in 2003, will study the composition of gas and dust released from a Comet to sense what kinds of organic molecules they contain, while Herschel, due for launch in 2007 will focus on the Chemistry of interstellar space, searching for traces of the material in distant clouds of dust. [ Visit News Source ] May 31, 2002, 7:34am Bad Weather Scrubs Endeavour Launch  | Image credit: NASA | Stormclouds above Cape Canaveral pushed back the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Thursday. NASA meteorologists had been predicting bad weather all week, so the scrub came as no surprise. The launch was pushed back to Friday evening, but even that launch date is at risk, as the stormy weather is expected to last through the weekend. When Endeavour does get into space, it will deliver Expedition 5 to the International Space Station, and return the previous crew back to Earth. [ Visit News Source ] May 31, 2002, 7:23am
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