The Red Planet as seen by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Photo: NASA/JPL/MSSS

What is being described as the "most significant discovery yet" by the team of scientists using NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting the Red Planet will be announced next Thursday, the space agency says.

Imaging scientists Dr. Michael Malin and Dr. Ken Edgett will make their announcement at a Space Science Update scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) on Thursday, December 7. Their findings are being published in the December 8 issue of Science Magazine.

Just a few months ago, Malin and Edgett announced they found evidence of liquid water flowing on Mars in the recent past.

Thursday's briefing will be held in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St., S.W., Washington, DC, and will be carried live on Telstar 5, transponder 11. The Ku-band satellite is located 97 degrees West longitude with a downlink frequency of 11929 MHz, vertical polarity.

Spaceflight Now will provide a LIVE QuickTime streaming Webcast of the event.

NASA Television is not expected to carry the announcement because of ongoing coverage of space shuttle Endeavour's mission to the international space station. At the time of the announcement on Thursday, two of the shuttle's astronauts will be in the midst of a spacewalk.

The participants in Thursday's announcement will be:

• Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator for Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC., will be panel moderator.
• Dr. Michael Malin principal investigator, Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), San Diego, CA.
• Dr. Ken Edgett, staff scientist at MSSS.
• Dr. Jim Garvin, Mars Exploration Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters.
• Dr. Ken Nealson, director of the Center for Life Detection at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.