GREENBELT, Md. – NASA will host a media teleconference to discuss the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. EST.

THEMIS consists of five identical probes that will study the violent colorful eruptions of the Earth auroras. The satellites will to launch aboard a Delta II rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 15, for a two-year mission.

Briefing participants:

— Craig Pollock, THEMIS program scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington

— Vassilis Angelopoulos, THEMIS principal investigator, University of California, Berkeley

— Peter Harvey, THEMIS project manager, University of California, Berkeley

— Jim Slavin, director, Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Division, Greenbelt, Md.

Reporters should call 888-455-0031 and use the pass code “THEMIS” to participate in the teleconference. International media should call +1-210-234-0007. Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

Related images will be available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/themis/news/prelaunch_briefing.html For more information about the THEMIS mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/themis