Cornell astronomers Steve Squyres and Jim Bell will present what NASA promises will be "stunning images" from Mars at a news briefing in the space agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters at 11 a.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 6.

The briefing and the pictures will be streamed over the Web.

The images have been returned by the rover Opportunity from the rim of Victoria crater, which the vehicle reached late last month. Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Planetary Science, is principal investigator for the Mars rover mission. Bell, associate professor of astronomy, is lead scientist for the rover's panoramic camera.

Also participating in the briefing will be Doug McCuistion of NASA, director of the Mars Exploration Program.

Plans for the next phases of work for Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit, which is on the opposite side of Mars, also will be discussed. Both rovers have been exploring the planet for more than 10 times as long as initially planned.

The briefing also will air live on NASA TV with question-and-answer capability from participating agency centers. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv; for information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers.