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Space


Next Mars Rover Finally Has A Name

by (WMFE)

This artist's rendition depicts NASA's Mars 2020 rover studying a Mars rock outrcrop. Photo: NASA


The next Mars rover finally has a name. A middle school student from Burke, Virginia came up with the winning suggestion.

No, it’s not Rovey McRoverface — the rover formerly known as Mars 2020 is now called Perseverance.

Around 28,000 entries were received in a public essay contest, but ultimately 7th grader Alex Mather’s suggestion was selected:

“If rovers are to be the quality of us as a race, we missed the most important thing — Perseverance,” Mather wrote in the winning essay.

The rover will scour the surface of the red planet looking for signs of past life on Mars and prepare samples for a future mission to send them back to Earth. Perseverance will launch from Cape Canaveral in July, arriving on the red planet February 2021.

 


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Brendan Byrne

About Brendan Byrne

Space Reporter and 'Are We There Yet?' Host

Brendan covers space news for WMFE, everything from rocket launches to the latest scientific discoveries in our universe. He hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration. He also helps produce WMFE's public affairs show "Intersection," working with host ... Read Full Bio »

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