NASA Discusses Mars 2020 Plans in July 9 Teleconference

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT) on Tuesday, July 9 to provide details about a report that will help define science objectives for the agency's next Mars rover.

The report, prepared by the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team (SDT) NASA appointed in January, is an early, crucial step in developing the mission and the rover's prime science objectives.

The teleconference participants are:

-- John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science, Washington
-- Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington
-- Jack Mustard, SDT chair and professor of geological sciences, Brown University, Providence. R.I.
-- Lindy Elkins-Tanton, SDT member and director of the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Washington

The Mars 2020 Science Definition Team report will be posted an hour before the teleconference at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/m2020/ .

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio . The telecon and graphics will also be streamed on the Web at: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 . Graphics for the teleconference will be posted online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mars/telecon20130709