China is holding a 40-day public vote to choose the name for its Mars rover that currently closes on the Red Planet.
The public can now vote for their favorites from a shortlist of ten names for the Tianwen-1 mission rover.
The ten names – Hongyi, Qilin, Nezha, Chitu, Zhurong, Qiusuo, Fenghuolun, Zhuimeng, Tianxing and Xinghuo – are derived from ideas, including Chinese mythological figures, Confucian concepts and legendary animals.
Related: China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission on photos
In particular, Hongyi, from the Confucian Analects, can be translated to ‘perseverance’ or perseverance, which gives a similar meaning to the NASA Perseverance Rover which is also on its way to Mars. Other meanings include:
- Zhurong: a god of fire
- Qilin: A Chinese unicorn
- Chitu: red rabbit
- Qiusuo: to explore, with reference to an ancient poem
- Zhuimeng: to pursue a dream
- Nezha: a mythological hero
- Fenghuolun: Nezha’s weapons
- Tianxing: referring to the motion of celestial bodies
- Xinghuo: spark
The Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, which belongs to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), announced the shortlist on January 18 after soliciting proposals for the mission launched in July last year.
The Tianwen-1 mission in China includes an orbit and a rover, and the spacecraft is to orbit Mars on February 10.
The rover will only try to land by May. The runway will depict the landing site and determine the conditions on the ground in preparation for the landing.
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If successful, the approximately 530 lbs. (240 kilograms) solar power worker will investigate the surface soil properties and potential distribution of water ice with its Subsurface Exploration Radar tool. The wanderer also has panoramic and multispectral cameras and instruments to analyze the composition of rocks.
The Tianwen-1 mission and the chance to nominate the rover have garnered considerable attention.
“More than 1.4 million entries have been received from 38 countries and regions since we launched a nomination campaign in July 2020. More than 200,000 of them are eligible. The netizens’ active participation shows their great concern for the Mars mission , “Yuan Foyu, director of the nomination campaign for China’s first Mars rover, told CCTV.
The vote is being held by Chinese internet giant Baidu with a February 28 deadline. Judges will then deliberate and announce a final name before landing.
Tianwen-1 is China’s first independent interplanetary mission and it also derives its name from history, with ‘Tianwen’ meaning ‘heavenly questions’ or ‘questions to heaven’, derived from a poem written by Qu Yuan (ca. 340-278 BC).
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