{"id":17956,"date":"2019-08-29T01:03:42","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T17:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/hey-kids-name-nasas-2020-mars-rover\/"},"modified":"2019-08-29T01:03:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T17:03:42","slug":"hey-kids-name-nasas-2020-mars-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/hey-kids-name-nasas-2020-mars-rover\/","title":{"rendered":"Hey, kids: Name NASA\u2019s 2020 Mars rover!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NASA
This artist\u2019s concept depicts NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 rover on the surface of Mars. (NASA \/ JPL-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA says a student will provide the official name for its 2020 Mars rover, continuing a tradition that began 16 years ago.<\/p>\n

The space agency will kick off its \u201cName the Rover\u201d contest on Sept. 3, just as most elementary schools and high schools are getting back into session.<\/p>\n

One grand prize winner will name the rover and win an invitation to the spacecraft\u2019s launch next July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis naming contest is a wonderful opportunity for our nation\u2019s youth to get involved with NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars missions,\u201d NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a news release. \u201cIt is an exciting way to engage with a rover that will likely serve as the first leg of a Mars sample return campaign, collecting and caching core samples from the Martian surface for scientists here on Earth to study for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1-ton, SUV-sized rover is an upgraded version of NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover, which has been exploring the Red Planet\u2019s surface since 2012. Eight months after launch, it\u2019s due to touch down on a spot north of the Martian equator in Jezero Crater. That\u2019s an area of interest to scientists because it\u2019s thought to be the site of an ancient river delta, potentially containing chemical traces of microbial life.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s 2020 rover is the first spacecraft designed to save up rock and soil samples for collection during a follow-up Mars mission. Once the samples are gathered up, the follow-up spacecraft would launch from the Martian surface and shoot those samples back to Earth.<\/p>\n

George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive, says the rover has \u201cfully taken shape over the past several months\u201d at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Even the sample caching system is ready to go. \u201cAll that\u2019s missing is a great name,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBridenstine\/status\/1166819901065109505<\/p>\n

The naming contest is open to U.S. students from kindergarten to 12th grade. By Nov. 1, entrants should submit their proposed rover name, plus an essay that runs no longer than 150 words and explains why their name should be chose.<\/p>\n

NASA will divide the essays into three groups by grade level \u2013 K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 \u2013 and have them judged based on appropriateness, the significance and originality of the name, and the originality and quality of their essay and\/or interview presentation.<\/p>\n

Fifty-two semifinalists will be chosen in each of the three categories, representing U.S. states and territories. (Some locales, such as South Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are lumped together.) Three finalists will be selected from each category to go on to the finals.<\/p>\n

The winner is due to be announced next Feb. 18 \u2013 exactly a year before the rover\u2019s scheduled landing.<\/p>\n

NASA is also looking for volunteers to help judge the thousands of entries that are expected to pour in. If you\u2019re a U.S. resident over the age of 18 with at least five hours to spare, you can sign up to become a judge via the Future Engineers website.<\/p>\n