Name the Rover

bohemian · July 20, 2018

On the BBC news today, a competition to name the Mars rover!

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Here's your chance to name the European rover that will go to Mars in 2020.

Currently called ExoMars, the six-wheeled robot needs something a bit more engaging and inspiring for when it lands on the Red Planet.

Astronaut Tim Peake is leading the hunt for a great moniker.

The vehicle is currently being assembled at the Airbus factory in Stevenage.

Its job when it lands on Mars in 2021 will be to seek out signs of present or past microbial life. The robot will even have a drill to dig 2m into the ground to see if any bugs are hiding away from the surface.

Tim says thinking about the rover's mission might be the source for a great name. "I often get asked, 'is there life out there beyond Earth?'. It's a very fundamental question, and it's one that this rover is going to try to answer," he told BBC News.

Dr David Parker, the director of human spaceflight and robotics at the European Space Agency, agreed: "The Americans called their Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity. We've tended in the past to name our missions after famous scientists.

"But, yes, perhaps this time we go with a name connected with the search for life - biology, genetics, DNA, whatever. Who knows? We just want a great name."