Anaxagoras, Asteria Morpheus and Marv are all in the running.
NASA is unquestionably keeping a receptive outlook with regards to naming its Mars 2020 wanderer. It might wind up being as basic as “Wonder” or as surprising as “Propulsion Major Crater.”
NASA declared on Monday the rundown of semifinalists for its meanderer naming challenge, which was available to US kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Volunteer judges limited 28,000 exposition entries to 155 semifinalists. There are a few rehashes among the proposed names, with Tenacity, Determination, Ingenuity, Inspiration, Possibility, Perspective and Perseverance appearing more than once.
A portion of the names appear as innovative abbreviations, including Fido (Fearless Information Data Officer), Aliett (Ancient Life Investigator Of Extra Terrestrial Turf) and Ride (Revolutionizing Interplanetary Discoveries and Exploration).
People can peruse the sections, read the papers and start pulling for their top pick. Will it be Dusty (on the grounds that Mars is dusty) or maybe Ambition Tardigrada, a tribute to the marvelous forces of water bears?
Judges will presently trim the semifinalists down to nine finalists. An open vote will help decide the meanderer’s last name. NASA will declare the champ in March.
The meanderer is booked to leave Earth in July and land on Mars in mid 2021. It will follow in the wheel tracks of past NASA wanderers Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity the as yet running Curiosity.
“This contest is a cool way to engage the next generation and encourage careers in all STEM fields. The chosen name will help define this rover’s unique personality among our fleet of Martian spacecraft,” said Lori Glaze, chief of NASA’s Planetary Science Division.
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