Europe’s Mars rover will be named after chemist Rosalind Franklin

An artist’s impression of the ExoMars rover, now named the Rosalind Franklin.

Europe’s next Mars rover, slated to launch next year, will be named after noted scientist Rosalind Franklin, whose work led to the discovery of the structure of DNA.

Last July, the UK’s space agency announced a competition to name the rover, which is scheduled to launch in 2020 as part of the ongoing ExoMars mission. People from across the European Union submitted 36,000 names for consideration and the winning name, Rosalind Franklin, was selected by a panel of experts. British astronaut Tim Peake announced the decision on Thursday.

Continue reading…

from The Verge – All Posts http://bit.ly/2SAzyQR
via IFTTT