A Burke seventh-grader Alexander Mather has recently named the Mars rover “Perseverance". He won a NASA contest to earn his place on the deck at Cape Canaveral. It took perseverance for the NASA team to send a rocket to Mars, and more perseverance for Alexander to win a competition to name the Mars rover that’s packed onto the NASA rocket.
Alex Mather with the rocket to Mars behind him
According to Burke Connection, "The naming contest began last August. Nearly 4,700 volunteer judges consisting of educators, professionals and space enthusiasts from around the country, reviewed submissions to help narrow the pool down to 155 semifinalists. Once that group was whittled down to nine finalists, the public had five days to weigh in on their favorites, logging more than 770,000 votes online, with the results submitted to NASA for consideration. The nine finalists also talked with a panel of experts, including Dr. Glaze; NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins; rover driver Nick Wiltsie at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California; and Clara Ma, who, as a sixth-grade student in 2009, named Curiosity."
As per Burke Connection, "According to NASA, perseverance is expected to land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. It will be the first mission to get samples of the planet and bring them back to Earth. The launch date was originally planned for July 17, but they pushed it back a few days, so the landing date could change by a few days."
Maryam N. is a Senior Writer at Nesbitt Realty. She is an expert on Fairfax County. Maryam has also worked previously as a geologist. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and exploring new restaurants.
