Why is Mars Rover named Perseverance? Where did Perseverance get its name from?

Perseverance is  name given to NASA's next Mars rover, which is part of Mars rover mission by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. name was anunced by associate ministrator of Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen as part of a celebration at Lake Brdock Secondary School. But why is it named Perseverance? Take a look at Mars rover name's origin.

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Why is Mars Rover named Perseverance?

Thomas was visiting Lake Brdock Secondary School to congratulate Alexander Mar, a 14-year-old seventh-grer who participated in 'Name Rover' essay contest organised by NASA. Mar's essay was winning entry of total 28,000 entries submitted by K-12 students from every state and territory in United States. It was Mar's essay that gave Mars 2020 rover its new identity.

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Alexander Mar's essay on Perseverance

“Curiosity. InSight. Spirit. Opportunity. If you think about it, all of se names of past Mars rovers are qualities we possess as humans. We are always curious, and seek opportunity. We have spirit and insight to explore Moon, Mars, and beyond. But, if rovers are to be qualities of us as a race, we missed most important thing. Perseverance. We as humans evolved as creatures who could learn to apt to any situation, matter how harsh. We are a species of explorers, and we will meet many setbacks on way to Mars. However, we can persevere. We, t as a nation but as humans, will t give up. human race will always persevere into future.”

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When Mar was asked as to what led him to choose name, he explained that Mars mission was just as much about humanity as it was about exploring Red Planet. He ded that Mars missions require a great deal of perseverance, however, to him, mission was a lot about being human. 14-year-old also ted that perseverance is one of our greatest qualities.

After winning contest, Mar was also given opportunity to interact with several members of Perseverance team, who he described as his role models in life.

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Im credits: NASA