WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a news briefing at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 9, to preview the launch of the Phoenix Mars Lander. The spacecraft is being prepared for liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in August. The briefing will originate from the NASA Headquarters auditorium, 300 E St., S.W., Washington. It will air live on NASA Television and be streamed online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The Phoenix mission's long-armed robotic lander will touch down on Mars' northern polar region in May or June 2008. It will examine whether the icy soil there could have been a habitable environment for microbial life.

Briefing participants are:

-- Doug McCuistion, Mars Exploration Program director, NASA Headquarters, Washington

-- Bobby Fogel, Phoenix program scientist, NASA Headquarters

-- Peter Smith, Phoenix principal investigator, University of Arizona, Tucson

-- Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Reporters at participating NASA centers will have the opportunity to ask questions. For more information about NASA TV, streaming video, and downlink and schedule information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Phoenix mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov