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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Chit Chat _ Nicknaming Curiosity
Posted by: vikingmars Aug 23 2012, 01:01 PM
Yes good idea to nickname the rover.
I'm using "MSL" as some others still do at JPL... and I'm now happy with it.
The more simple nickname following traditions would be the use of "CR", standing for "Curiosity Rover", using the rule set for Viking ("VL" standing for "Viking Lander")...
... And if you want a nickname like "Oppy", then call it "Curry" : I'm sure this will help scientists find their much-wanted "spicy" rocks at Gale
Posted by: centsworth_II Aug 23 2012, 01:14 PM
Or in today's lingo, C-Ro.
Posted by: jmknapp Aug 23 2012, 01:20 PM
How about Curie? The RAD team might like it.
Posted by: vikingmars Aug 23 2012, 01:26 PM
Yes : "Curie" is an excellent idea.
Besides, it would make a lot of sense since the small test-bed "Marie-Curie" rover (the sister rover of Sojourner), named by JPL, was never sent to Mars unfortunately, although it was planned to be refurbished for the ill-fated "Mars Surveyor 2001" mission...
This would pay also a nice (and much-deserved) tribute to the success of the rover and robotics teams at JPL
Posted by: elakdawalla Aug 23 2012, 02:44 PM
That's what I've been thinking too Though I may end up pronouncing it "Curry"
Posted by: djellison Aug 23 2012, 02:47 PM
Besides, it would make a lot of sense since the small test-bed "Marie-Curie" rover (the sister rover of Sojourner), named by JPL, was never sent to Mars unfortunately,
I would have thought the fact that there is already another rover with Curie in its name would be a reason NOT to call Curiosity 'Curie'.
Posted by: fredk Aug 23 2012, 03:24 PM
The idea of caller her "Curie" goes back http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=5243&view=findpost&p=131380 I'd say it's too good a nickname to ignore, with the radiation connection. We can simply decide to always refer to the test-bed rover as "Marie Curie" to distinguish it. I can't see that leading to any confusion in practice.
Posted by: chris Aug 23 2012, 03:39 PM
How about Clara (after the girl who came up with the name "Curiosity")?
Posted by: elakdawalla Aug 23 2012, 04:50 PM
If there can be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Enterprise, surely there can be two Curies In any case, no amount of discussion here is going to result in the world adopting the nickname we choose. It will happen on its own, and she may wind up with many nicknames.
Posted by: jmknapp Aug 23 2012, 05:09 PM
Plus, in the words of Amy Farrah Fowler, "We can be like Marie Curie and her husband Pierre, who spent days working side by side in the glow of their love and the radium that ultimately killed her. Screw Beauty and the Beast, that's the love story Disney should tell."
Posted by: djellison Aug 23 2012, 05:44 PM
For the sake of the four characters of difference between Curie/Curry and Curiosity...I'll be sticking with its full name.
Posted by: mcaplinger Aug 23 2012, 05:53 PM
FWIW and just to get on the record here, it's an "it" and its name is MSL. Call me a soulless engineer if you wish.
Apostrophe error there, Doug, I recommend reading "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves":
http://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592400876
Posted by: RoverDriver Aug 23 2012, 06:09 PM
While I strongly believe curiosity is one of the main characteristics of a good engineer, I don't think I will ever be able to call MSL with that name.
Paolo
Posted by: akuo Aug 23 2012, 06:17 PM
Well, Marie Curie will be just "Marie" when she ends up on Mars 
Posted by: jasedm Aug 23 2012, 06:19 PM
Sorry to be curmudgeonly, but I think I'm with Doug and mcaplinger here - the cute-ification of these machines does make me a tad uncomfortable, as do the sometimes toe-curlingly contrived acronyms for various experiments aboard unmanned spacecraft.
I'm totally in awe of the engineering, skill,vision and determination that brings these craft from concept to reality, but the anthropomorphizing, for me, very slightly trivialises the achievement.
(I'll get my slippers....)
Posted by: climber Aug 23 2012, 06:56 PM
Rob Manning wrote in the Landing thread: ......."It is still only 7:20 am LST (3 pm PDT) and the rover won't wake for a couple of hours. (She has had a big day yesterday)....."
Looks like a she to him! Well, I don't want to open a debate again, but it drove my attention at this time.
Posted by: centsworth_II Aug 23 2012, 08:45 PM
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Posted by: mcaplinger Aug 23 2012, 08:52 PM
De gustibus non est disputandum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum
Posted by: Toma B Aug 23 2012, 08:57 PM
I know this post doesn't belong in this thread, but I don't know where else to put it, and I don't want to start new thread. Anyway...
I have spent some time searching internet for MSL LOGO image in Hi definition (at least 1600x1600 pixels), but with no luck. That was the one they put on Atlas5 rocket. Can anybody please help me find that LOGO in Hi Resolution?
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Here's what I have found:
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http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/freedrive/ .
You can drive Scarecrow rover on the surface of Gale Crater. I did not seen this app being talked about around here, so here it is. There are some really nice terrain to drive on near the base of Mt. Sharp. Go see it for yourself. Looks spectacular! Only problem is that it crashes every few minutes so I have to restart my Firefox again and again. Guess it's because it's still in beta version. I will try it later with Chrome and IExplorer.
To bad it's past my kids bedtime. Tomorrow I'll let him try to drive it.
P.S.
Sorry for my English.
Posted by: stevesliva Aug 23 2012, 09:10 PM
I tend to agree, but at least "MER" was a syllable. But since I always read it as "mare," perhaps I'll call MSL "mizzle." Fo shizzle.
Posted by: mcaplinger Aug 23 2012, 09:31 PM
Yes, but unpronounceable three-letter acronyms I was used to dealing with already: MGS, MCO, MPL, MRO, LRO. I finally started calling Mars Odyssey that, but only because "Mars Surveyor 2001 orbiter" really was too long.
Posted by: Michael Capobianco Aug 23 2012, 10:27 PM
If she's female, how about "Miss L."
Posted by: stevesliva Aug 23 2012, 10:40 PM
I notice "George" has also not been mentioned in this thread.
Posted by: djellison Aug 23 2012, 10:55 PM
George is the nickname that I know many ( msyelf included ) use to talk about the VSTB test bed rover.
Posted by: Stellingwerff Aug 23 2012, 11:11 PM
I tend to pronouns it as EM-Es-EL, with the "E" as in Edward.
My "vote" goes to Curie, although it will take a bit getting use to it.
Posted by: nprev Aug 24 2012, 12:57 AM
I like "Curie" (almost posted it last night!) but to be perfectly honest I'll always use MSL. Cool acronym, cool name.
Posted by: dvandorn Aug 24 2012, 01:16 AM
I'll usually say either Curiosity or MSL, but when typing I have on occasion abbreviated the name to Curi. Pronounced the same as Curie, but without that possible mix-up with the backup Pathfinder rover's name.
-the other Doug
Posted by: Astro0 Aug 24 2012, 03:10 AM
Frankly, with that laser, hammer drill, grinders, and 900+ kilograms of weight behind it, I'd be calling it "sir", "ma'am" or whatever the heck it wants to be called
Posted by: ilbasso Aug 24 2012, 08:35 PM
Interesting about the logo from the launch vehicle. I just received in today's mail a lapel pin from JPL, with that same logo and Mars Science Laboratory. It'll always be MSL to me.
Similar situation with the International Space Station modules. My nephew worked on ISS for several years. I asked him something once about the Harmony node, and he had to pause for a few moments and said, "Oh yes, Node 2." Nobody in Houston refers to the modules by the popularized public names.
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