NASA names Rolling Stones Rock after veteran rockers
It may be a lot less than 2,000 light years from home, but there is now a “Rolling Stones Rock” on Mars.
The US space agency NASA named the little stone after the veteran rockers after its InSight robotic lander captured the object rolling across the surface of the red planet.
NEWS FLASH ⚡️It’s a gas, gas, gas
Tonight, @NASAInSight named “@RollingStones Rock” after the band, who is playing a show at @RoseBowlStadium near our lab. This Mars rock rolled farther than any @NASA‘s seen while landing on another planet. https://t.co/868Gbervw1#MarsRocks pic.twitter.com/9rsITo6fyV
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 23, 2019
Actor Robert Downey Jr took to the stage just before the Stones at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Thursday night to make the rock’s new name public.
The stadium is just a stone’s throw from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages InSight.
Sir Mick took a moment between songs to tell the crowd that “NASA has given us something we have always dreamed of, our very own rock on Mars. I can’t believe it”.
The singer added: “I want to bring it back on put it on our mantelpiece.”
