JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.1 min read

'Curiosity,' Meet Clara

Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ June 8, 2009
In front, Clara Ma, the student from Lenexa, Kans., who won the Mars Science Laboratory rover-naming contest signs the rover. Behind her, clockwise, are Charles Elachi, director of JPL, Peter Illsley and Christopher Voorhees , JPL engineers for the Mars Science Laboratory project.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Clara Ma poses with a model of Curiosity.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Twelve-year-old Clara Ma flew from Kansas to JPL to meet and sign the next rover that will zoom millions of miles to Mars.

Twelve-year-old Clara Ma flew from Kansas to JPL to meet and sign the next rover that will zoom millions of miles to Mars. The trip is Clara's prize for winning an essay contest in which she named the rover "Curiosity."

Clara, a sixth-grader from Sunflower Elementary school in Lenexa, Kan., got a VIP tour of JPL, along with her parents and sister. Inside the building where Curiosity is being assembled, Clara donned a "bunny suit" to step into the clean room and sign her name on the rover. The trip to JPL was provided by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Clara and her family also visited the Mars Yard, where future generations of rovers are tested. For more information about the next rover mission, go to http://www.nasa.gov/msl .

2009-2181

Related News

Mars.

NASA Tests Featherweight Radar Antenna for SkyFall Mars Helicopters

Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Watches Earth Vanish Behind Martian Moon

Solar System.

NASA Engineers Help Prolong Voyager 2’s Science Mission

Mars.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Discovers Field of Honeycomb Textures

Solar System.

NASA’s Juno Takes Temperature of Jupiter’s Fiery Moon Io

Solar System.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Delivers Mars Flyby Data, Time-lapse Video

Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Reads Record of Ancient Mars Impacts

Solar System.

NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers

Solar System.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid

Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier

About JPL
Who We Are
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
JPL Annual Report
Executive Council
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Eyes on the News
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Explore JPL
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Explore JPL
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Accessibility at NASA
Contact Us
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
NASA Kids Science - Earth
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Version: v3.2.0 - 54b6266
Site Managers:Emilee Richardson, Alicia Cermak
Site Editors:Steve Carney
CL#:21-0018