NASA Mars 2020 rover: This Pennsylvania kid might have come up with its clever name

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall
York Daily Record

Winning any kind of contest can feel out of this world, but this time, it could get real literal. 

In August of 2019, students from across the United States were invited to enter a "Name the Rover" contest for NASA's Mars 2020 rover. 

More than 28,000 essays were submitted and the judges boiled the entries down to 155 semifinalist and then to nine finalist. Ten-year-old Eamon Reilly from Sinking Springs Elementary School in York County is one of those finalists. 

The fourth-grader wrote a short essay with his bid to name the rover "Tenacity" because, he said, scientists had to be tenacious for the Mars rover to even exist. 

The other names to reach the Final Nine are:

  • Vision
  • Endurance
  • Perseverance
  • Ingenuity
  • Clarity
  • Courage
  • Fortitude
  • Promise

The poll remains open through Jan. 27 until midnight eastern standard time. The results of the poll will be a consideration in the final naming selection. To vote, visit: Go.nasa.gov/name2020.

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall is a trends reporter with the York Daily Record. She's dishing out most-talked about topics, occasional features, and taco fandom. Contact her at jvaughnhal@ydr.com, 717-495-1789 and follow her on Twitter @jvaughn411

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