NASA Invites Reporters and Public to Curiosity First Anniversary Event

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Jul 30, 2013, 04:59 ET

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA officials and crew members aboard the International Space Station will observe the first anniversary of the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars at a public event in Washington from noon-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 6. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed live on the agency's website.

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Media and the public are welcome to attend to hear highlights from the Mars Science Laboratory's first year of investigations, learn about upcoming NASA robotic missions to the red planet, and speak with astronauts conducting experiments in space that will enable human exploration of Mars in the 2030s.

Those interested in attending should plan to arrive at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, by 11:30 a.m. Seating is limited.

Participating will be:

Charles Bolden, NASA administrator
Chris Cassidy and Karen Nyberg, NASA astronauts, live from the space station
Jim Green, director, Planetary Division, NASA's Science Mission Directorate
Sam Scimemi, director, NASA's International Space Station Program
Prasun Desai, acting director, Strategic Integration, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate

The Mars Science Laboratory mission successfully placed the one-ton Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, UTC and EDT (evening of Aug. 5, 2012, PDT), about 1 mile from the center of its 12-mile-long target area. Within the first eight months of a planned 23-months primary mission, Curiosity met its major science objective of finding evidence of a past environment well-suited to support microbial life. With much more science to come, Curiosity's wheels continue to blaze a trail for human footprints on Mars.

To follow the conversation online about Curiosity's first year on Mars, use hashtag #1YearOnMars or follow @NASA and @MarsCuriosity on Twitter.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about NASA's exploration of Mars, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mars

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station

SOURCE NASA