NASA Hosts News Conference About 10 Years of Roving on Mars

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Jan 21, 2014, 04:28 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.

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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 [email protected] 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

SOURCE NASA