PASADENA, Calif. — NASA will hold a media briefing at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST), Thursday, Nov. 10, to discuss the upcoming launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, with the largest and most capable rover going to another planet. The televised news conference will take place at NASA Headquarters in Washington and will be carried live on NASA TV.
The Mars Science Laboratory mission is scheduled to launch at 7:25 a.m. PST (10:25 a.m. EST), on Nov. 25. The launch period extends to Dec. 18. The spacecraft will deliver a car-size rover named Curiosity to the surface of Mars in August 2012.
News conference participants are: — Doug McCuistion, director, Mars Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington — Ashwin Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory deputy project scientist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. — Pete Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager, JPL
Media planning to attend the briefing in Washington need to RSVP to dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov to gain access to the studio. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations or by telephone. To reserve a telephone line, contact steve.e.cole@nasa.gov .
Local reporters in southern California are invited to watch the news conference via satellite, with two-way question-and-answer capability, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Reporters who would like to come to JPL must arrange access by contacting the JPL Media Relations Office by 3 p.m. PST Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 818-354-5011. In addition, valid media credentials are required, and non-U.S. citizens must also bring a passport.
NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information is at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv . The news conference will also be carried on JPL’s Ustream channel, with a moderated chat, at http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl .
For more information about the new rover, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for NASA.
