Which Of The Nine Names For New Mars Rover Do You Like Best?

After reviewing more than 28,000 essays submitted by kids, NASA has it down to 9 finalists. And you can help pick the winner.

The "Name the Rover" essay contest invited students from kindergarten through 12th grade from across the U.S. to come up with a fitting name for NASA's Mars 2020 rover, a 2,300-pound scientist that will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology and collect samples for a future return to Earth. A huge panel of volunteer judges from all around the country narrowed the field to 155 deserving finalists from every state in the union. From there it got whittled down to 9 finalists. Unfortunately, no student from Montana made the cut, but we thought you might like to see the names and cast your ballot for:

• Endurance, Grades K-4, Oliver Jacobs of Virginia
• Tenacity, Grades K-4, Eamon Reilly of Pennsylvania
• Promise, Grades K-4, Amira Shanshiry of Massachusetts

• Perseverance, Grades 5-8, Alexander Mather of Virginia
• Vision, Grades 5-8, Hadley Green of Mississippi
• Clarity, Grades 5-8, Nora Benitez of California

• Ingenuity, Grades 9-12, Vaneeza Rupani of Alabama
• Fortitude, Grades 9-12, Anthony Yoon of Oklahoma
• Courage, Grades 9-12, Tori Gray of Lousiana

Hurry if you want to be part of the fun! The poll closes on Monday 1/27) at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Time. You can vote for your favorite here. Congratulations and best of luck to all the kids who participated.