How does the Athena team choose the names for the various rock targets, craters, etc. on Mars?
A. John Grotzinger, Athena Science Team member from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers the following: “In picking the names of significant rock targets, we try to follow a theme. Beginning with Adirondack (first rock at Gusev) we chose names that related to significant topographic features that local populations could identify with. This included Stone Mountain (Georgia) which was the first rock we analyzed by Opportunity. Then, we moved on to El Capitan, Guadalupe, McKittrick, and Last Chance which are significant peaks and valleys in the Guadalupe national park in west Texas. After the rocks, we spent several days analyzing the soils at Eagle crater, which we named mostly after different types of sweets and desserts (Neopolitan, Fudge, etc.). “The first rock outside of Eagle crater (Bounce Rock) was identified over a month ago, and named because the lander bounced across it as it rolled into Eagle crater. Now that we’re there, we are paying a tribute to our European co
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