[meteorite-list] NASA Hosts News Conference About 10 Years of Roving on Mars

[Ron Baalke]

January 21, 2014

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov 

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov 
     
MEDIA ADVISORY M14-019
     
NASA Hosts News Conference About 10 Years of Roving on Mars

NASA Opportunity rover was built for a three-month mission on Mars, but  
continues to return valuable scientific data 10 years later. NASA will  
reflect on the rover's work in a news conference at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST)  
Thursday, Jan. 23.

The event will originate from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in  
Pasadena, Calif., and be carried live on NASA Television and streamed online.

Participants will be:
-- Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA  
Headquarters, Washington
-- Ray Arvidson, Mars Exploration Rovers deputy principal investigator,  
Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
-- John Callas, Mars Exploration Rovers project manager, JPL
-- Steve Squyres, Mars Exploration Rovers principal investigator, Cornell  
University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Opportunity, also known as the Mars Exploration Rover, reached the Red Planet  
Jan. 24, 2004. It landed three weeks behind a twin rover named Spirit. Both  
rovers made important discoveries about wet environments that could have  
supported microbial life on ancient Mars. Spirit stopped communicating with  
Earth in 2010. Opportunity is continuing to provide scientific results, and  
currently is investigating the rim of a crater 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide.

Reporters wanting to participate by telephone or attend the news conference  
in person at JPL must arrange access by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 by  
contacting Elena Mejia at elena.mejia at jpl.nasa.gov or 818-354-5467.  
Reporters also may ask questions from other participating NASA centers.

The briefing will be Webcast live at:

http://ustream.tv/NASAJPL 

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv 

For more information on the missions of Spirit and Opportunity, visit:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov 

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