An artist's illustration of Grail mission operations. Image credit/NASA illustration
NASA’s twin moon bound Grail spacecraft need imaginative names.
U. S students enrolled in K through 12 are likely to have some very creative suggestions, NASA figures.
And if that sounds like you, you and your teacher have until Nov 11 to offer a name in a NASA-sponsored competition.
Sally Ride, the first U. S.female astronaut, and Maria Zuber, the Grail mission’s science principal investigator, will lead the judging.
The two Grail spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Fla., on Sept. 10, starting a 3 1/2 month journey to the moon.
NASA's Grail mission begins promising lunar journey. Photo Credit/NASA photo
Flying in an orbital formation around the lunar poles, Grail A and B will enable science teams to develop a refined gravitational map of the moon. The new cartography will enable NASA science teams to better establish the composition of the moon from core to crust.
It will also enable mission planners to identify landing sites for future lunar missions.
With all that’s at stake, NASA’s given names for the spacecraft, Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory A and B hardly seem imaginative enough.
Under the contest rules, NASA seeks written proposals of no more than 500 words. The proposals must be submitted by classroom teachers on an electronic form. Contest rules and the form are available with a click.
“A NASA mission to the moon is one of the reasons why I am a scientist today,” explained Zuber, a scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “My hope is that GRAIL motivates young people today towards careers in science, math and technology. Getting involved with naming our two GRAIL spacecraft could inspire their interest not only in space exploration but in the sciences, and that’s a good thing.”
NASA hosted a similar competition to name the long running Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit andOpportunity.