🪨 New Names in a New World
Kobayashi and Baturin Visit and Name Local Craters
Posted: 15 July 2040 | Sol 195 / Year 2040
By: Alpha Base Science Team
Location: Jezero Region, Mars
Today, Dr. Akane Kobayashi and Dr. Nikolay Baturin completed their second field science expedition, visiting two previously unexamined small craters located south of Alpha Base. These craters are part of the complex ring of ancient impacts that surround the landing zone — terrain rich in sediment, mystery, and opportunity.
Using Rover 1, the pair carried out close-range mapping, sediment sampling, and multispectral imaging. Both craters are shallow, well-preserved, and appear to show signs of distinct geological layering, likely shaped by wind and seasonal carbon dioxide activity.
📍 Naming the Craters
As the first explorers to physically visit and examine these formations, Kobayashi and Baturin were granted the opportunity to assign provisional names — part of an ongoing tradition for field scientists on Mars.
Rather than naming the craters after themselves, they chose something more personal and unifying:
Each crater was named after the birthplaces of Alpha 1 crew members.
- The first crater has been named Évreux Crater, after Pierre Girard’s hometown in Normandy, France.
- The second has been named Shenzhen Crater, honouring Jianyu Chu’s city of origin in southern China.
Future excursions will allow similar naming rights, and the team has already identified three more candidate sites.
“This way,” said Dr. Kobayashi, “every crater reminds us of Earth — and of why we’re here.”
🧪 Next Steps
The collected samples will be brought back to Alpha Base and stored in the pressurised sample lab in Hab A3. Spectral data is being transmitted to partner institutions on Earth for further analysis, with early indications suggesting variation in mineral composition between the two sites.
These kinds of localized studies are key to understanding how regional geology evolved, and may help identify potential resources or signs of ancient water flow.
🌍 Humanity Leaves Its Marks — Gently
Naming geographical features has always been part of how explorers learn and relate to new worlds. By linking these Martian craters to places on Earth, the crew continues a quiet tradition: one that connects past, present, and future.
Mars is vast. But today, it feels a little more familiar.
—