Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Sept 3, 2020 15:16:57 GMT 2
(.#502).- Why is the Mars 2020 rover called Perseverance?
Why is the Mars 2020 rover called Perseverance?
Nathalie Mayer, Journalist
Posted on 06/03/2020
Several months that we all waited for it. Last night, NASA finally revealed the name it has chosen to give to the rover it will launch towards the red planet next summer. After being nicknamed March 2020, it is now called Perseverance.
Until yesterday, it was simply called March 2020. The next NASA rover to land on the Red Planet was finally named Perseverance.
Last August, NASA launched the Name the Rover Contest in which some 28,000 young Americans, from kindergarten to high school, answered the call. Proposing not only a name to give to the rover, but also a short text justifying this choice. 155 semi-finalists were then selected by a jury of almost 4,700 volunteers. Finally, in January, NASA announced the nine finalists: Clarity, Courage, Endurance, Fortitude, Ingenuity, Promise, Tenacity, Vision and Perseverance. After 77,000 public votes and the expression of opinions from a panel of experts, NASA has therefore chosen to name its rover Perseverance.
This name, Alexander Mather, the college student from Virginia who proposed it, justified it thus, last night, on the occasion of the announcement made by NASA: “Curiosity. InSight. Spirit. Opportunity [understand curiosity, insight, wit and opportunity, note]. If you think about it, all of these names of former Martian rovers are qualities that we possess as human beings. We are always curious and looking for opportunities. We have the wit and insight to explore the Moon, Mars and beyond. But, if the rovers are to symbolize our qualities in this space race, we have forgotten the most important thing. Perseverance ! "
No space exploration without perseverance
“Alexander has perfectly understood the spirit that inspires us. Our rover will make incredible discoveries. But as was the case with each of our exploration missions, it will face challenges. He has already overcome many obstacles to get us to where we are today, almost ready for launch. Alexander and his classmates are of the generation that will take the next steps in space exploration. The one that will take us to Mars. And that will require persistence, ”said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Scientific Missions Directorate of Nasa.
VIDEO YOUTUBE :
Middle-School Student Names NASA’s Nex...
Alexander Mather talks about the mission of Perseverance and why this name was chosen by NASA. © Nasa, JPL-Caltech
For John McNamee, project manager of the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where the robot was assembled, it could not have been made of a better choice: "looking around me, all these women and all these men who, since for years, have invested their knowledge and skills to build the most technologically advanced mission in history, I believe Perseverance is a name we can be proud of. ”
For the rover, a launch window will open between July 17 and August 5, 2020. Its landing on Mars is scheduled for February 18, 2021, in the Jezero crater. For at least a Martian year, he will explore places in search of traces of past microbial life. And for the first time in history, it will prepare soil samples to be brought back to Earth for analysis by a future mission.
At first, NASA gave its exploration missions less wanted names. Those which, between 1966 and 1968, prepared the arrival on the Moon of the Apollo mission were thus baptized Surveyor, from 1 to 7. Then the Mariner probes, from 1 to 10, flew over Mars, Venus and Mercury. And two Viking landed on Mars. But it was not until 1997, with Pathfinder, that NASA began to contest the names of its missions.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
• NASA has finally chosen a name for its Mars 2020 rover.
• Call it Perseverance.
• It was the idea of a young college student from Virginia who saw it as an essential quality for exploring space.
F I N .
Why is the Mars 2020 rover called Perseverance?
Nathalie Mayer, Journalist
Posted on 06/03/2020
Several months that we all waited for it. Last night, NASA finally revealed the name it has chosen to give to the rover it will launch towards the red planet next summer. After being nicknamed March 2020, it is now called Perseverance.
Until yesterday, it was simply called March 2020. The next NASA rover to land on the Red Planet was finally named Perseverance.
Last August, NASA launched the Name the Rover Contest in which some 28,000 young Americans, from kindergarten to high school, answered the call. Proposing not only a name to give to the rover, but also a short text justifying this choice. 155 semi-finalists were then selected by a jury of almost 4,700 volunteers. Finally, in January, NASA announced the nine finalists: Clarity, Courage, Endurance, Fortitude, Ingenuity, Promise, Tenacity, Vision and Perseverance. After 77,000 public votes and the expression of opinions from a panel of experts, NASA has therefore chosen to name its rover Perseverance.
This name, Alexander Mather, the college student from Virginia who proposed it, justified it thus, last night, on the occasion of the announcement made by NASA: “Curiosity. InSight. Spirit. Opportunity [understand curiosity, insight, wit and opportunity, note]. If you think about it, all of these names of former Martian rovers are qualities that we possess as human beings. We are always curious and looking for opportunities. We have the wit and insight to explore the Moon, Mars and beyond. But, if the rovers are to symbolize our qualities in this space race, we have forgotten the most important thing. Perseverance ! "
No space exploration without perseverance
“Alexander has perfectly understood the spirit that inspires us. Our rover will make incredible discoveries. But as was the case with each of our exploration missions, it will face challenges. He has already overcome many obstacles to get us to where we are today, almost ready for launch. Alexander and his classmates are of the generation that will take the next steps in space exploration. The one that will take us to Mars. And that will require persistence, ”said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Scientific Missions Directorate of Nasa.
VIDEO YOUTUBE :
Middle-School Student Names NASA’s Nex...
Alexander Mather talks about the mission of Perseverance and why this name was chosen by NASA. © Nasa, JPL-Caltech
For John McNamee, project manager of the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where the robot was assembled, it could not have been made of a better choice: "looking around me, all these women and all these men who, since for years, have invested their knowledge and skills to build the most technologically advanced mission in history, I believe Perseverance is a name we can be proud of. ”
For the rover, a launch window will open between July 17 and August 5, 2020. Its landing on Mars is scheduled for February 18, 2021, in the Jezero crater. For at least a Martian year, he will explore places in search of traces of past microbial life. And for the first time in history, it will prepare soil samples to be brought back to Earth for analysis by a future mission.
At first, NASA gave its exploration missions less wanted names. Those which, between 1966 and 1968, prepared the arrival on the Moon of the Apollo mission were thus baptized Surveyor, from 1 to 7. Then the Mariner probes, from 1 to 10, flew over Mars, Venus and Mercury. And two Viking landed on Mars. But it was not until 1997, with Pathfinder, that NASA began to contest the names of its missions.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
• NASA has finally chosen a name for its Mars 2020 rover.
• Call it Perseverance.
• It was the idea of a young college student from Virginia who saw it as an essential quality for exploring space.
F I N .
