Civilian space-enthusiasts have until April 24 to help name the features on Pluto and its orbiting satellites, according to a press release from NASA. NASA claims that global enthusiasm for its campaign - in partnership with the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Paris - prompted the deadline extension.
The first ever close fly-by of the dwarf planet Pluto will occur on July 14.
"Due to increasing interest and the number of submissions we're getting, it was clear we needed to extend this public outreach activity," said Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's headquarters in Washington, according to the press release. "This campaign not only reveals the public's excitement about the mission, but helps the team, which will not have time to come up with names during the flyby, to have a ready-made library of names in advance to officially submit to the IAU."
"I'm impressed with the more than 40,000 thoughtful submissions," said Mark Showalter, scientist New Horizons science team co-investigator, and SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., which is hosting the naming website. "Every day brings new lessons in the world's history, literature and mythology. Participation has come from nearly every country on Earth, so this really is a worldwide campaign."
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) manages the New Horizons mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), is the principal investigator. SwRI leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of the New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. APL designed, built and operates the spacecraft for NASA.
To read HNGN's initial coverage of the Pluto campaign and for more information on how to submit your choice, click here. All ages are encouraged to participate.
