CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY

PAVILION LAKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 9, 2009) - NASA and the Canadian Space Agency invite media representatives to meet the international, multidisciplinary Pavilion Lake science team on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 as they conduct research to determine the origin of the rare freshwater microbialites that thrive in Pavilion Lake, British Columbia.

By using a combination of remotely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, SCUBA divers and DeepWorker submersibles, the Pavilion Lake Research Project is blending cutting-edge science and technology to advance our knowledge of astrobiology and to help us learn how to explore with humans on the Moon and Mars.

NASA Ames Research Center and the University of British Columbia established the Pavilion Lake Research Project in 2004. In addition to the SETI Institute (Mountain View, California), the project is led by the University of British Columbia and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and aims to support continuous, multi-disciplinary, international science and exploration efforts to better understand the development, extent, and preservation of Pavilion Lake's bacterial structures.

Due to the logistical and safety arrangements required for on-site visitors, reporters must register on or before July 13th by submitting a request via the Web at http://www.pavilionlake.com/participants/2009-media-access.php.

A BC Parks Permit is required for filming at Pavilion Lake and can be obtained by contacting Rob Enns at Rob.Enns@gov.bc.ca.

The Pavilion Lake Media Kit, containing detailed information about travel, parking, and logistics on site can be downloaded at the following address: http://www.pavilionlake.com/pdf/plrp-travel-information-2009.pdf.

WHEN:   Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT


WHERE:  Pavilion Lake, British Columbia
        Location details and travel information available through PLRP
        website:
        http://www.pavilionlake.com/pdf/plrp-travel-information-2009.pdf