Longueuil, Quebec, April 14, 2008 – NASA's Phoenix Lander will reach Mars on Sunday, May 25, to begin a three-month mission studying an arctic site on the Red Planet. Phoenix carries a Canadian-built weather station and marks the first time Canada is part of a mission to land on Mars. Canadian news media who wish to cover the landing and the surface mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and from the University of Arizona Science Operations Center, Tucson, Arizona, must apply for credentials online before May 15, 2008. To be accredited, media must work for legitimate, verifiable news-gathering organizations.
The Mars-Phoenix newsroom at JPL will open beginning Wednesday, May 21. Credentialed reporters will have access to interview opportunities, photo and b-roll opportunities as well as pre- and post-landing news briefings. JPL will be the centre of operations for the landing, which occurs between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Eastern Time (4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time) on May 25. Over the next few days, the mission's center of operations will shift from JPL to the University of Arizona for the science phase of the mission. News briefings from both locations will be carried on NASA television and the Web.
Covering Phoenix Landing and Mission from NASA – JPL: Media applying for credentials to access JPL in California should submit requests via the Web at: https://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/media/index.html
Covering Phoenix Surface Mission and Science: For media accreditation requests to cover the Mars Phoenix Surface Mission at the University of Arizona, visit http://uanews.org/marsmedia/
In addition to the above requirements, Canadian media representatives, regardless of citizenship, must provide data including their citizenship, visa or passport number, expiration date, and alien registration number if applicable. Requests must include a phone number and business e-mail address for follow-up contact. Media must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when applying.
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For more information on Canada's contribution to the Phoenix Mars Lander Mission, please visit www.space.gc.ca.
For more information:
NASA – Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Media Relations Office:
Guy Webster
Media Relations Specialist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Telephone: 818-354-6278
E-mail: guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov
University of Arizona Contact:
Sara Hammond
Public Affairs Manager Phoenix Mars Mission
University of Arizona, Tucson
Telephone: 520-626-1974
E-mail: shammond@lpl.arizona.edu
Subscribe to the Canadian Space Agency News Room and receive by e-mail, on a regular basis, the latest news on the Canadian Space Program. To subscribe, visit: www.space.gc.ca/medialist.
