NASA stated on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 that it is “…looking for the right stuff, or in this case, the right name for the next Mars rover.” [NASA: “NASA invites students to name new Mars rover”]

The U.S. space agency is enlisting the help of WALL-E, which was created in the Pixar Animation Studios for the Walt Disney Studios motion picture of the same name: “WALL-E.”

In twenty-second century Earth, the planet has gotten so polluted that WALL-E robots were created to clean up the planet while all humans take a five-year vacation out in space.

WALL-E is short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class.

However, to make the storyline interesting, something goes wrong and WALL-E must contend with being the only unit left to clean up trash on Earth.

To top it off, he falls in love with a highly advanced female robot called EVE who is only interested in fulfilling her mission: to find plant life on Earth.

So, while WALL-E cleans up Earth, NASA is looking for another nifty name for its new car-sized robot that is scheduled to explore the surface of Mars in 2010.

Check out a picture of the new NASA Mars robot at “Mars science laboratory rover.”

Page two contains the website for information and the application form to enter the NASA robot-naming contest.

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The robot-naming contest is open to all five to 18 year old students who are currently enrolled in any U.S. school for the academic year (kindergarten through 12th grade).

NASA states, “To enter the contest, students will submit essays explaining why their suggested name for the rover should be chosen. Essays must be received by Jan. 25, 2009. In March 2009, the public will have an opportunity to rank nine finalist names via the Internet as additional input for judges to consider during the selection process."

And, "NASA will announce the winning rover name in April 2009.”

So, your prime directive is to: Name That Rover.

Go to the NASA website “Name NASA’s Next Mars Rover” in order to learn more about the Mars rover, and to find out how to enter the contest.

The NASA Mars science laboratory (MSL) rover is scheduled to be launched on October 8, 2009. It will then land on Mars sometime during the July-September 2010 time frame.

It is about three times the size of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs)--Spirit and Opportunity--that are currently on the Martian surface.

If you are one of the winners of the contest, you may receive one of several prizes including a trip to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to watch the Mars rover being built.

In addition, the grand-prize winner will be able to place their signature on the spacecraft.

NASA program executive for the Mars Science Laboratory, Mark Dahl, stated, “Mars exploration has always captured the public imagination. This contest will expand our ability to inspire students' interest in science and give the public a chance to participate in NASA's next expedition to Mars."

President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, Mark Zoradi, also stated, “All of us at Disney are delighted to be working with NASA in its educational and public outreach efforts to teach schoolchildren about space exploration, robot technology and the universe in which they live."

Zoradi adds, "WALL-E is one of the most lovable and entertaining characters that Pixar has ever created, and he is the perfect spokes-robot for this program."