Mars: NASA results on the red planet are named after the Navajo

The indigenous people have had connections with Earth in North America since time immemorial, and now that connection is spreading throughout the universe.

Explorer perseverance It has been on Mars for a month, collecting data and discoveries with each passing day.

Several discoveries have been cataloged, through collaboration with NASA, in Diné Bizaad, Navajo’s language.

Team perseverance You start with a list of 50 words and will expand the list as needed. According to a tweet from the explorer himself, some terms have already been used, such as tsé ichíí (red rocks), yéigo (diligence) and seítah (among the sand).

Before landing in the Jezero Crater in Máaz (Mars, in Navajo), the Perseverance Team divided the crater into 2.6 square kilometer (1 sq mi) networks and named it Quad In honor of the national parks of our planet that have a similar geology.

The vehicle landed in an area named after the Canyon de Chile National Monument in Arizona, which is located in the Navajo region.

The Indian Country Today reports that Navajo Chief Jonathan Nese, along with Vice President Myron Laser and other advisers, suggested words from what they saw at the landing site.

In a press release, NASA said the suggestions include tséwózí bee Hazhmeezh (rolling rows of pebbles, like waves).

Aaron Yazzi, Denné, also suggested Bidzel (strength) and Honel (respect) on the list. “perseverance” (Perseverance) translated into Navajo Ha’ahóni.

Yazzie is a mechanical engineer on the Tenacity team working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
He hopes that seeing his native language linked to the mission will make the indigenous youth proud and encourage them to achieve their goals.

GB