Space. The final frontier. A vast, formless abyss into which humanity launches its satellites and rovers in a boundless quest for knowledge. The discoveries made in that airless vacuum of mystery could impact the human understanding of the cosmos, and now anyone has the opportunity to name one of the rovers that the European Space Agency will use to explore the surface of Mars.
Except the European Space Agency will choose the rover's final name with a panel of scientists. And they probably won't go for Marsy McMarsface.
SEE ALSO:NASA's Curiosity rover took a badass Mars selfie during a huge dust stormWhich, honestly, why not? There's a Boaty McBoatface, voted on by the public in a thoroughly democratic fashion. And who can forget Trainy McTrainface? Or Ferry McFerryface? Or winning racehorse, Horsey McHorseface?
OK, maybe the habit of letting the public vote on naming important vessels can be a bit repetitive. It's amazing what a few trolls, or just plain uninspired-but-weirdly appealing ideas, can do to sway public opinion.
Sometimes panels picking contest answers end in something great — NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, was named by an 11-year-old girl who won a contest with a 250-word essay. And sometimes, it can just guard against having some dumb, crowdsourced name appear in the history books.
Whatever happens here, it should be entertaining to see which name the ESA panel ends up choosing.
(责任编辑：焦點)
Give your kitchen sponge a rest on this adorable bed
The real stories of the NASA women celebrated in Lego form
Sarcastic kid has the most cynical joke about what will happen when she turns 100
A member of Trump's cabinet rocked slippers that cost at least $495 because why not?
Two states took big steps this week to get rid of the tampon taxWhat brands need to know about virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is all the rage. Premium publishers like USA Today, the New York Times, and AOL
...[详细]Picasso the rescue dog is stealing hearts all over the internet (and so is his bro)
Meet 10-month-old Picasso, a pitbull-terrier mix, who's had a bit of a rough start to life.He has a
...[详细]Don't get too excited about the possibility of "President Oprah"
So, there have been a few headlines going around on Wednesday claiming Oprah Winfrey is "rethinking"
...[详细]It's no dislike button, but we might get dislike reactions on Facebook Messenger
Besides stopping the spread of fake news, a dislike button is probably the feature Facebook users as
...[详细]Pole vaulter claims his penis is not to blame
Following the cringeworthy moment in which pole vaulter Hiroki Ogita's penis grazed the bar and he f
...[详细]Sorry Queen Elizabeth, this American claims to be your rightful heir
British people pride themselves in their royal independence from their more powerful American cousin
...[详细]'The future that liberals want' is here, it's now and it's a meme
What isthe future that liberals want? That's the question everyone's asking (and meme-ing) after ran
...[详细]It's no dislike button, but we might get dislike reactions on Facebook Messenger
Besides stopping the spread of fake news, a dislike button is probably the feature Facebook users as
...[详细]Airbnb activates disaster response site for Louisiana flooding
Airbnb has activated its disaster response page following the record-breaking flooding in Louisiana.
...[详细]Weapons and ammo in 'Horizon: Zero Dawn' are confusing, so here's a guide
So you want some tips for hunting robot dinosaurs, huh?There's a great science fiction story buried
...[详细]One of the most controversial power struggles in media comes to a close
Thanks, Trump: I guess we are cool with George W. Bush now
