[X] My Assistant

[vjkane]

...Thinking ahead it is somewhat problematic that the expected lifetime (1-2 years) of the mission is so conservative, in light of the success of previous missions. It will be impossible to argue to go back into the crater once the rover left it.

Everyone hopes and probably expects that Percy will have a long life and will sample both Jezero and Midway. However, rovers/spacecraft do break, and any operations past the first Martian year also require that NASA approve an extended mission and that is funded. So the managers and science team want to make sure that the base mission requirements are met in that first year.

[serpens]

Everyone hopes and probably expects that Percy will have ....

Not sure about the morphing of Perseverance to Percy. For me the rovers, like ships, have all been female and Perseverance's role is a gatherer, traditionally a female role.

[djellison]

Not sure about the morphing of Perseverance to Percy.

Then call it Perseverance.

Problem solved.

FWIW - The name ‘Percy’ was adopted by almost everyone I know on the project pretty much immediately after it was announced.

You’re gonna HATE what everyone calls the Helicopter.....so you should probably start getting used to Ginny now.

[mcaplinger]

FWIW - The name ‘Percy’ was adopted by almost everyone I know on the project pretty much immediately after it was announced.

I still call it M2020 and probably always will, just like I still call the earlier mission MSL.

[djellison]

I still call it M2020 and probably always will, just like I still call the earlier mission MSL.

Well yeah - M20 and MSL to differentiate between charge codes, and then 'the rover'