NASA has launched a contest aimed at coming up with the name of its new rover for the upcoming Mars 2020 mission. The winner of the contest will be invited by NASA to watch the launch of the mission.

Dubbed as "Name the Rover," NASA’s latest contest is open to U.S. students enrolled in private, public and home schools. It was launched as part of the agency’s ongoing effort to inspire students to gain an interest in the fields of science, engineering, mathematics and technology.

“This naming contest is a wonderful opportunity for our nation’s youth to get involved with NASA’s Moon to Mars missions,” Jim Bridenstine, the administrator for NASA said in a statement.

“It is an exciting way to engage with a rover that will likely serve as the first leg of a Mars Sample return campaign, collecting and caching core samples from the Martian surface for scientists here on Earth to study for the first time,” he added.

To participate in the contest, students must submit their proposed rover names before Nov. 1. They may do so by registering for the "Name the Rover" contest through its website. In addition to the name, students should also submit a short essay explaining why their proposed name should be selected. The essay should not exceed 150 words.

All entries will be divided into groups based on the students’ grade levels. As noted by NASA, the contest is open for kindergarten to 12th-grade students in the U.S.

The entries will then be judged based on originality and significance. A total of 52 semifinalists will then be selected. This number will be trimmed down to a handful of finalists.

According to NASA, the public will be able to participate in the online voting process of the contest in January 2020. Aside from the proposed names, the essays submitted by the finalists will also be posted on NASA’s Mars website.

The winner, as well as the selected name, will be announced on Feb. 18, 2020. The lucky student will then be invited by NASA to watch the Mars 2020 launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2020.

NASA Mars Rover concept art
An artist concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Two rovers were launched in 2003 and arrived at sites on Mars in January 2004. NASA/JPL/Cornell University
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