[ad_1]
The first NASA helicopter on Mars has a name now and the credit goes to Vaneeza Rupani, a 17-year-old girl of Indian descent.
Rupani, a high school student from Northport, Alabama, earned the honor of naming the helicopter after submitting her essay in NASA’s “Name the Rover” contest.
Destined to become the first aircraft to attempt a powered flight on another planet, NASA’s Mars Helicopter was officially named: Wit, as Rupani suggests.
While NASA announced in March that its next rover would be named Perseverance based on the seventh-grade Alexander Mather test, the agency decided to also choose a name for the helicopter that will accompany the rover to Mars.
“Our Mars helicopter has a new name! Meet: Ingenio. Student Vaneeza Rupani came up with the name during our rover contest. Ingenio will travel to the Red Planet with @NASAPersevere to attempt the first powered flight in another world,” NASA tweeted
Rupani’s entry was one of 28,000 essays submitted by K-12 students from all US states and territories. According to NASA, which made the announcement on Wednesday.
“The ingenuity and brilliance of people who work hard to overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration,” Rupani wrote in his essay, according to a NASA press release. .
“Ingenuity is what enables people to accomplish amazing things, and allows us to expand our horizons to the edges of the universe,” he said.
Rupani has been interested in space science since she was a little girl, according to her mother, Nausheen Rupani.
“On her way to school every day, she and her father would pretend they were in a spaceship. They would imagine seeing planets (buildings), stars (traffic lights), etc. on their way and giving them names,” said Nausheen Rupani. POT
Having her performance selected was more than exciting, the teenager said.
“(I thought) ingenuity would be a good name for the helicopter because that is exactly what it took to design this machine,” he told NASA. “The helicopter is an incredible project and I am delighted to participate in its journey.”
Ingenuity and perseverance are slated to launch in July and land next February in Jezero Crater on Mars, the site of a lake that existed 3.5 billion years ago.
As the rover collects samples from Mars, the helicopter will attempt to fly and, if successful, will allow future Mars missions to “add an aerial dimension to its explorations,” according to NASA.
“I am proud that NASA’s Mars Helicopter is named after Vaneeza Rupani of Northport, Alabama. It is a unique privilege. Rupani’s essay on why he chose the name ‘Wit’ highlights his creativity, originality, and intelligence. His understanding of La The importance of exploration is extraordinary, and I am sure you have a bright future ahead of you, “said Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama.
ALSO READ: NASA Astronauts From Space Share Some Good News About John Krasinski’s Program: Earth Is Still Beautiful
ALSO READ: Mars Helicopter is ready to fly over Red Planet, helicopter weighs less than 2kg
