Look Out, Maine… Mars is Stealing Our Town Names!

Until authorities develop a plan to combat planet-to-planet identity theft, I think we're just going to have to live with this one.

As reported by the Bangor Daily News, two scientists from the Planetary Science Institute, who control the famous Curiosity rover, have been re-using the names of Maine towns and landmarks for newly discovered locations on Mars. Pretty cool, right?!

The BDN writes that both Dr. Katie Stack Morgan of California, and Dr. R. Aileen Yingst of Brunswick, who works with the institute remotely from her home, are doing so purely for the love of our little state. Morgan is quoted as saying "it doesn't feel like summer unless I've been to Maine." It won't feel like summer on Mars for a while, though - we're still waiting on the announcement for a new Funtown location near Olympus Mons.

They've already covered some major bases - Kennebec, Spring Point, Cape Elizabeth and Frye Island have already made the cut. Morgan, who was in charge of naming a 1.5km quadrangle, or "quad" for short, named it the Bar Harbor Quad, because of how much the town meant to her during summer vacations there. Technically, it should be Bah Hahbah, but we'll let her slide on this one.

What town do you think Drs Yingst and Morgan should use next? Tell us in the comments!