President Obama To Call NASA Curiosity Mars Rover Team Today

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Aug 13, 2012, 09:11 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Barack Obama will congratulate members of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover team at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT) this morning.

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Audio of the call and video of the JPL team's portion of the call will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

President Obama's call comes a week after Curiosity landed on the Red Planet. Curiosity carries the most advanced science payload ever used on Mars' surface. During the next 2 years, it will use its 10 instruments to investigate whether conditions have been favorable for microbial life and for preserving clues in the rocks about possible past life.

Curiosity was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, which also is where the rover's mission control is located.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mars

and

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

SOURCE NASA