Ancient Ore Crusher or KillBot 2000? NASA gets ready to pick a name for its Mars 2020 Rover

NASA has announced the finalists for its Mars 2020 Rover naming and the options are as worthy as one might expect. Around 28,000 essays were apparently submitted, from which bigwigs whittled down these nine: Promise, Fortitude, Courage, Vision, Tenacity, Clarity, Endurance, Ingenuity and Perseverance. Because we are El Reg, …

[Neil Barnes]

Show some spirit!

https://www.xkcd.com/695/

(too soon?)

[ArrZarr]

Re: Show some spirit!

Give a thought to Pathfinder - lasted three months looking at the same boring scenery then gets dug up by Mark Watney and abandoned again!

[Cuddles]

Rover McRoverFace

I feel Buggy McBugface rolls off the tongue a bit better.

[Wade Burchette]

Re: Rover McRoverFace

I was thinking Marsy McMarsface

[Captain Hogwash]

KillBot 2000

Surely by now people are suggesting KillBot 3000?

The article alludes to my preference: TrundleBot 9000.

[MiguelC]

Re: KillBot 2000

KillBot 20-20 sounds righ now...

[Korev]

Re: KillBot 2000

What about Sir Killalot?

Or even Sgt Bash?

[ArrZarr]

Re: KillBot 2000

I can see the headlines now.

Sgt Bash? More like Sgt Crash!

Sgt Bish Sgt Bash Sgt Bosh.

Bash Bashfully Bashes Boulder.

[SeanEllis]

Too, too obvious.

How can the 2020 rover possibly be called anything other than "Vision".

[John Robson]

Re: Too, too obvious.

Has to be Hindsight

Although I'm thinking that a acronym of titsup might be appropriate (given the woeful landing record on the red planet).

Terra's Independent Travelling Science Unit Prototype?

[katrinab]

Re: Too, too obvious.

Something along the same lines as the Paper Aircraft Released Into Space, or the Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tank!

It should be called "Spike", with, of course, the entry and descent module being called "The Bebop"

[My other car WAS an IAV Stryker]

Re: Tank!

Love that anime, especially the soundtracks.

However, I recently binged on ELP (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) and wonder if their "Tank" is better.

Either way, you just can't go wrong with a tank, be it a song, space rover, or earth armored vehicle (see the handle, people!).

[Morrie Wyatt]

If the El Reg is anything to go by.

Jeph Jaques seems to have an appropriate character to name it after.

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3900

[Antony Furneaux]

2020_Hindsight

Lets see how many ironies we can load it with.

[Steve K]

BFR-9000

BFR-9000 (although Mr. Musk may have laid claim to that one already...)

[Ugotta B. Kiddingme]

Curiosity 2: Nuclear Boogaloo

just because.

[Rich 11]

Re: Curiosity 2: Nuclear Boogaloo

Curiosity -1: The Prequel

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

Marvin

has my vote, but then it might develop a pain in all the diodes down its left side

I'd better be going

[Vulch]

Re: Marvin

Is that better or worse than an earth shattering kaboom?

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Re: Marvin

Well he was able to survive a 13 mile fall through an atmosphere, a further mile through solid rock & still function (Much to his despair).

[Martin Gregorie]

The first Mars or Luna rover...

... that has a serious regolith- or marsdust-moving blade should be called Killdozer.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: The first Mars or Luna rover...

I'd call it R. Jeremy, but only if it's got a big drill.

[Anonymous Coward]

Clarity, Endurance

Clarice for short.

Must be said in an Anthony Hopkins voice though.

[katrinab]

Marsy McMarsface

obviously. What else could it possibly be called?

[katrinab]

Re: Marsy McMarsface

Or maybe MEGHAN

Mars Engine Gliding and Hovering Above [something]

[Geoff May (no relation)]

Re: Marsy McMarsface

Noachin?

It's about the only thing beginning with N relating to Mars in some way I could find with a quick search.

[et tu, brute?]

Re: Marsy McMarsface

Nirgal!

(See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirgal_Vallis)

[Anonymous Coward]

Ok, ok...

Names...here we go...I'll start.

Schlock and Ore.

Rock Knocker (Sorry kids, it's not Mark Hamill).

Whole Lotta Hole.

Drillbert.

Rock Puppet.

Geolotron.

Sher-rock Drone.

[ClockworkOwl]

In the same Spirit...

Spirit Opportunity Curiosity

Audacity

That is all... :)

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: In the same Spirit...

Surely that should be Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Arrest.

Or How I Got My Criminal Record. The spirit in question, of course, being rum.

[Terje]

Opportunity is just refusing to answer!

https://xkcd.com/1504/

Make sure not to land it in the opposite side of the planet, maybe some upgrades to automatically run away from other rovers may be prudent as well!

[Alister]

After curiosity, and opportunity, we should consider apathy, indifference and indolence.

[Aussie Doc]

Yeah...

They considered 'Apathy' but nobody could be bothered.

[Imhotep]

Is there an AOC in the house? AOC?

Ancient Ore Crusher = AOC, the nom de guerre of a member of the House.

Someone trying to slip one by there?

[packrat]

scarface mars face scarface. shaken, not stirrups.

[packrat]

sca-rface; mars scarface. shaken, not stirrups.

[Alistair]

Curiosity is still going

We should see if it outlives things and call the next rover The Cat.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Diggy-Duggy Buggy?

[Mark 85]

Name it something simple

Bubba.

[Robert Helpmann??]

Re: Name it something simple

Simple and descriptive: Alone.

[Robert Helpmann??]

Poll Participation Map

I'm tempted to make a joke about the fact that just under 3000 votes are registered as being placed from Russia, but I actually think it is a good thing that the international community participates.

[somini]

Re: Poll Participation Map

I'd like to know why 20k Turks voted for it, but only 7k in the UK.

[Is It Me]

Re: Poll Participation Map

Maybe they are mechanical turks...

[Sambonge]

Re: Poll Participation Map

I think we need to think of an African name like for example we can call it Nelson Mandela

[TeeCee]

KillBot?

That would imply it's armed. In which case its first task should be to find the Mysteron base and attack it.

No reason, we don't need provocation here.

[zuckzuckgo]

Re: KillBot?

ThrillBot then?

[Sambonge]

Re: KillBot?

What about Nelson Mandela

[Chris G]

Johnny,Mars.

See title, listen to his music; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WsnC5fEl6s

Some '80s blues would make Mars even cooler.

[Unep Eurobats]

Obligatory Bowie references

Diamond Dog Drill.

Or: Ziggy Marsdust and the Pesky Spiders from Earth that Stowed Away in the Glove Compartment.

[Christoph]

Maybe the US Space Force will insist it be named All Your Planet Are Belong To Us

[A Nother Handle]

Pineapples

Robots on Mars and nobody has referenced the ABC Warriors? For shame.

[Kuba777]

Rednose

Rednose name would be ideal. It going to sniff red planet

[Anonymous Coward]

A Roger Zelazny reference - Ancient Ore Crusher - bravo!!

For those not in the know that comes from a short story called "For a Breath I Tarry".

Read it - it'll improve your life.

https://gist.github.com/johan/4600371

[NullNix]

Re: A Roger Zelazny reference - Ancient Ore Crusher - bravo!!

Strongly seconded. Hypnotic, brilliant, and quite entirely unexpected in this position.

This name has my vote. (If it were counted, which it won't be.)

[Corwin_X]

Re: A Roger Zelazny reference - Ancient Ore Crusher - bravo!!

Try "Comes Now the Power" - easily available online since most of his stories are out of copyright.

Have a box of tissues to hand.

[NullNix]

Re: A Roger Zelazny reference - Ancient Ore Crusher - bravo!!

Uh... _Comes Now the Power_ was written in 1966. It's a very long way from being out of copyright.

[Corwin_X]

Re: A Roger Zelazny reference - Ancient Ore Crusher - bravo!!

Ah ... yes. I mixed up the 1842 act (42 years for date of original publication) with the later acts that start a 50-70 year period from the author's *death*, not publication.

Apologies for misleading anyone here.

I revise my recommendation to buying "The Last Defender of Camelot", an anthology book of Zelazny's short stories including the ones mentioned here.

[Anonymous Coward]

Rover McRoverface

.... Down votes deserved..

[WONKY CLERKY]

Rover Where.The.F***.Am.I?-Face

[Diez66]

En(d)urance

End, if it does early.

Endurance if it last a long time and finally, when it stops "End".

Boring but a good fit.

[John Brown (no body)]

Named by politicians?

"Promise, Fortitude, Courage, Vision, Tenacity, Clarity, Endurance, Ingenuity and Perseverance"

That sounds like a list drawn up by patriotic politicians. Or 19th century Admirals.

[MasterSirMr]

Please be this it's a currently linguistically recognizable phrase.

My personal opinion whether this machine makes a safe landing and continues its journey thereafter that it should be called Intergalactic A.S.M.R (Autonomous Scientific Mars Reconnaissance) is that not a perfect play on words or what? Apologies post anonymously was ticked now I should get any responses if I remember my login details!!!