And the Name of the Next Mars Rover is....

...is something we will find out in a name unveling announcement today (March 5) at 1:30 PM EST, 18:30 UTC, with later details at a media conference at 3:30 PM EST, 20:30 UTC).

NASA will unveil the name of the agency’s next Mars rover, currently known as Mars 2020, during a live event on NASA Television at 1:30 p.m. EST Thursday, March 5, followed by a media teleconference at 3:30 p.m. about the mission and the naming.

The winning name has been chosen from a 2019 essay contest open to school children.

www.nasa.gov...

The Mars 2020 rover was the subject of a nationwide naming contest in 2019 that drew more than 28,000 essays by K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory. Nearly 4,700 volunteer judges – educators, professionals, and space enthusiasts from around the country – helped narrow the pool down to 155 semifinalists. A second round of judging selected the nine finalist essays that were open to an online public poll before Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, made the final selection.

The live event will include:

-Thomas Zurbuchen
-Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters
-Deanne Bell, founder and CEO of Future Engineers in Burbank, California
-The student who submitted the winning name and essay

NASA TV Feed link:
www.nasa.gov...

Ustream Feed:
www.ustream.tv...

Rover McRoverface ?

originally posted by: Spacespider
Rover McRoverface ?

We can only hope. But evidently there are 9 finalists, none of which are Rover McRoverface:

The nine finalists (submission name, grade level, student name and state) are:

Endurance, K-4, Oliver Jacobs of Virginia
Tenacity, K-4, Eamon Reilly of Pennsylvania
Promise, K-4, Amira Shanshiry of Massachusetts

Perseverance, 5-8, Alexander Mather of Virginia
Vision, 5-8, Hadley Green of Mississippi
Clarity, 5-8, Nora Benitez of California

Ingenuity, 9-12, Vaneeza Rupani of Alabama
Fortitude, 9-12, Anthony Yoon of Oklahoma
Courage, 9-12, Tori Gray of Louisiana

www.nasa.gov...

I'm going to say either "Vision" or "Fortitude." Those aren't necessarily my favorites, but those two each sound like a name NASA would pick.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

Endurance is the only one of the finalists that makes sense to me.

Personally I'd call it Dave and be done with.

They are at a middle school in Virginia, so I think it's "Perseverance."

Edit to Update: It is

Maybe they should have called it "Killed The Cat", as a complement to its predecessor.

Seriously, though, it seems they did name it "Perseverance".

Wow, those names are boring and look like they were taken from those horrible motivational posters from the 90s. How about something with a little flavor, like "Gumption," or "Moxie?" Or how about some old automobile names like "Rambler," or "Galaxie 500?"

Stupid kids. What do they know about naming stuff?

How about, "Picard"?

How about HAL, that could be a good name, if not then maybe Marsy McMarsface.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

A great way to get children interested in the space exploration field.

originally posted by: highvein
a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

A great way to get children interested in the space exploration field.

Joking aside you are right and I hope it does get a few more youngsters interested in space and engineering.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

Endurance is the only one of the finalists that makes sense to me.

Personally I'd call it Dave and be done with.

C'mon let's get creative and name it "Epstein Didn't Kill Himself."

Or "Trump is Still President" to raise hackles.

Nvm

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Wow, those names are boring and look like they were taken from those horrible motivational posters from the 90s. How about something with a little flavor, like "Gumption," or "Moxie?" Or how about some old automobile names like "Rambler," or "Galaxie 500?"

Stupid kids. What do they know about naming stuff?

Could be worse, kids are so brainwashed today they could have named it "Greta" (or "Retard", same thing...)

originally posted by: M5xaz

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Wow, those names are boring and look like they were taken from those horrible motivational posters from the 90s. How about something with a little flavor, like "Gumption," or "Moxie?" Or how about some old automobile names like "Rambler," or "Galaxie 500?"

Stupid kids. What do they know about naming stuff?

Could be worse, kids are so brainwashed today they could have named it "Greta" (or "Retard", same thing...)

If it's kids, then "Shrek" and "Spongebob" would have also been high on the list.

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: M5xaz

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Wow, those names are boring and look like they were taken from those horrible motivational posters from the 90s. How about something with a little flavor, like "Gumption," or "Moxie?" Or how about some old automobile names like "Rambler," or "Galaxie 500?"

Stupid kids. What do they know about naming stuff?

Could be worse, kids are so brainwashed today they could have named it "Greta" (or "Retard", same thing...)

If it's kids, then "Shrek" and "Spongebob" would have also been high on the list.

I ' ll take "Shrek" and/or "Spongebob" any day over "greta" as a name for a Mars rover....