Nasa news today mars8/8/2023 The difference between an official name on Mars and an unofficial one is seemingly simple: Official monikers have been approved by a body of scientists known as the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Learn more about how Mars scientists name the craters, hills, valleys, and rocks on the Red Planet. ![]() Just how scientists come up with the identifiers has evolved since the early days, 25 years ago, when they used cartoon character names. "Later on, we can refer to the many hills and rocks by name as we discuss them and eventually document our discoveries." 1 reason we pick all these names is to help the team keep track of what they're finding each day," said Ashwin Vasavada, the Curiosity mission's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) away, NASA's Curiosity rover recently drilled a sample at a location called "Ubajara." The crater bears an official name the drill location is identified by a nickname, hence the quotation marks.īoth names are among thousands applied by NASA missions not just to craters and hills, but also to every boulder, pebble, and rock surface they study. ![]() NASA's Perseverance rover is currently investigating rock outcrops alongside the rim of Mars's Belva Crater.
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