Maria

The Mars Rover of 2020 should be named Maria, after Maria Mitchell- the first professional female astronomer in the United States. Miss Mitchell was loved by her students, who looked up to her as an inspiration. Maria made the decision to allow non- white students to her school, even though the local public school was still segregated at the time. She believed in learning by doing, and the ability of women to achieve what their male peers could. Mitchell was also the first American scientist to discover a comet, which was later named “Miss Mitchell's Comet", and won a gold medal prize for her find. Maria Mitchell was an inspiration to many and her scientific discoveries changed astronomy forever.