6/21/2000
The AlienZoo News Crew
NASA on Wednesday issued a notice for a press conference, scheduled for Thursday, June 22, regarding evidence suggesting the existence of liquid water on Mars. Scientists discovered the evidence in an area called the Valles Marineris, a 3,700-mile-long canyon comprised of lava, rockslides, and remains of vanished seas.
AlienZoo wants to know: Why was this area called "Valles Marineris" - an obvious reference to a sea? Have scientists been waiting years to "spring" the news on us?
The press release is reprinted word-for-word from NASA:
NASA will hold a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, June 22, at 11 a.m. EDT, to discuss the recent discovery of evidence of liquid water on Mars using NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, with a paper to be published in the June 30 issue of Science magazine. Because some press reports over the past two days on the subject have been incorrect in significant areas, NASA has arranged to hold the press conference earlier than originally planned so that the Principal Investigators, Drs. Michael Malin and Ken Edgett, can discuss their findings in person. Also, Science Magazine will release the paper at 10 a.m. EDT tomorrow in advance of the press conference. The briefing will be held at the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St., SW, Washington, DC.
Panelists will be:
* Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
* Dr. Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), San Diego, CA
* Dr. Ken Edgett, staff scientist at MSSS and co-author of the paper in Science
* Dr. Mike Carr, Planetary Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
* Dr. Bruce Jakosky, Director, Center for Astrobiology, University of Colorado, Boulder
* Dr. Jim Garvin, Mars Program Scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC