NASA is hosting a news briefing at 11 a.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 6, to present stunning images returned by the agency’s “Opportunity” rover from the Victoria crater on Mars. The briefing will be in the NASA headquarters auditorium, 300 E Street S.W., Washington.

Plans for the next phases of work for Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, also will be discussed. Both rovers have been exploring Mars more than 10 times as long as initially planned.

Panelists:

— Doug McCuistion, director, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters

— Steve Squyres, principal investigator, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

— Jim Bell, lead scientist, Rover panoramic camera, Cornell

The briefing will air live on NASA TV with question and answer capability from participating agency centers. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/rovers