NASA is launching a contest for naming its 2020 Mars rover

NASA is looking forward to launching a nation-wide contest in the US for naming its 2020 Mars rover. The space agency is also looking for judges for the same contest. NASA wants to engage K-12 students (12th-grade students in US) particularly for the naming contest.

NASA has joined hands with Battelle Education, of Columbus, Ohio, and Future Engineers, of Burbank, California for the MARS 2020 “Name the Rover” contest. The contest will be live for US students this fall. The agency says that the contest is aimed at engaging the public in its mission to the Moon and Mars. Meanwhile, applications for becoming a judge of the contest is available online.

George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive at NASA's Planetary Science Division said,  "We’re very excited about this exceptional partnership. Contests like this present excellent opportunity to invite young students and educators to be a part of this journey to understand the possibilities for life beyond Earth and to advance new capabilities in exploration technology.”

The Unnamed rover will seek signs of past microbial life, characterise the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the path for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA is planning to launch this in July 2020 and expecting it to touch the Martian surface by February 2021.

NASA says that it is also focusing on national goals through its “Name the rover” project. It will help US students get acquainted with engineering and scientific work that makes Mars exploration possible.

The two companies involved have been assigned separate jobs. 

Battelle will connect students to the Mars 2020 mission through its portfolio of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) networks. It will also help recruit judges and students as well as curate resources for teachers. Future engineers will host the “Name the rover” contest through its web platform. 

 

 

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