NASA’S Mars Rover Spirit Topic Of Media Call Jan. 26

WASHINGTON — NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 26 to discuss the status of the agency’s Mars rover Spirit. The robotic explorer has been stuck in sandy soil on Mars for the past eight months.

The participants are:

– Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters in Washington

– John Callas, project manager, Mars Exploration Rovers, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

– Ashley Stroupe, rover driver, Mars Exploration Rovers, JPL

– Steve Squyres, principal investigator, Mars Exploration Rovers, Cornell University

For call in information, journalists should e-mail a request with their name, media affiliation and telephone number to J.D. Harrington at: j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio