NASA wants students to name the rover March 2020

Scout. Opportunity. Curiosity. NASA's iconic rover robots have a history of high names. But for the March 2020 rover, this iconic name is still missing. Now students have a chance to be part of the naming process by submitting their name ideas.

American students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 can enter their ideas in the "Name the Rover" contest. Each student, with the help of the teacher, will submit their ideas in a 150-word essay. The nomination must show how the name is original and appropriate for the mobile.

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The space agency says its goal with the contest is to spark interest and motivation from students in STEM related topics. The contest encourages students to become familiar with Mars, past pilots and upcoming missions planned for the Red Planet.

Students can submit their essays until November 1st. Entries will be segregated by grade, kindergarten to grade 4, grades 5 to 8 and grades 9 to 12. the public is allowed to vote in January. The winner will be announced on February 18, 2020, exactly one year before the scheduled date for the arrival of the rover on Mars.

The winner of the "Name the Rover" contest will be invited, along with his family, to attend the launch of the rover in July 2020 at the Kennedy Space Center. The name of the overall winner will also be considered for the 2020 rover, but NASA does not have to choose the name that won.

The March 2020 rover will explore the conditions on Mars, looking for any sign of past microbial life, and gather information on the challenges that humans may eventually encounter to live on the planet.