NASA has announced the name of its next Mars Rover, ‘Perseverance’. This will be the fifth exploratory vehicle on the Red Planet. A seventh grade student, Alex Mather picked the name and an event at Burke in Virginia was held to announce and congratulate him.
The name contest started in August through NASA’s website. Alex’s entry was chosen as it captured the spirit of exploration. He will join the space agency scientists to witness ‘Perseverance’ get launched and begin its journey.
Set to be launched in July 2020, ‘Perseverance’ is projected to land on Mars in February 2021. Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs, the rover will hunt for signs of past microbial life on the planet. It will also characterise the climate, geology, collect samples of Martian rocks and dust.
Built on the same technology as the last Mars Rover ‘Curiosity’, ‘Perseverance’ will also be able to land more precisely and has an on-board system to avoid hazardous terrain on descent. The exploratory vehicle has an improved wheel design as well.
Have a look at Mars’ new Rover, ‘Perseverance’:
