posted 12-30-2004 06:45 PM               

One year later rovers Spirit and Opportunity have exceeded all mission expectations and continue to make discoveries. The goal of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was to explore for a minimum of 90 days to search for evidence of past water activity.

"One Year on Mars," a special two-hour live event to commemorate the mission, will be presented at JPL on Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST. The live event, along with additional taped programming and live-shot opportunities, will be aired on NASA-TV.

At 2 p.m. EST, a news briefing will detail discoveries made in 2004, and the rover's outlook for 2005.

Panelists:
-- NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe
-- Dr. Charles Elachi, Director, JPL
-- Jim Erickson, MER Project Manager, JPL
-- Dr. Steve Squyres, MER Principal Investigator, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
-- Dr. Firouz Naderi, MER Program Manager, JPL
-- Dr. Jim Garvin, Chief Scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington.

At 3 p.m. EST, the MER team will present "Mars Stories We've Never Told." This 60-minute live program will feature members recounting personal experiences of the past year. The program will end with the cutting of a rover "birthday cake."

Two additional rover programs will air on NASA TV on Monday. "Twelve Wheels on Mars" airs at 1 p.m. EST. This 60-minute program features professional storyteller Syd Lieberman, who spent several months with the MER team. "Two for Two" a 20-minute program about the rovers airs at 4 p.m. EST.