NASA to Announce Mars 2020 Rover Instruments

NASA will announce on Thursday, July 31, the instruments that will be carried aboard the agency's Mars 2020 mission, a roving laboratory based on the highly successful Curiosity rover. The announcement will air live at noon EDT on NASA Television and on the agency's website.

The announcement will take place in the NASA TV studio at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW in Washington. The announcement participants are:

-- John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Headquarters, Washington

-- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, Headquarters

-- Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program, Headquarters

-- Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist, Headquarters

NASA received 58 proposals in January for science and exploration technology instruments to fly onboard the Mars 2020 mission, two times the average number of proposals submitted for instrument competitions in the recent past and an indicator of the extraordinary interest in exploration of the Red Planet.

Media can ask questions from participating NASA locations, or by telephone. To participate by phone, reporters must contact Steve Cole at 202-358-0918 or stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov and provide their media affiliation by 11 a.m. Thursday.

There also is limited seating in the NASA TV studio for media who would like to attend in person. To arrange access, media must email dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov by no later than 9 a.m. Thursday.

Media and the public can join the conversation using #JourneyToMars, and ask questions using #askNASA.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about NASA's Mars 2020 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov