flak@cs.washington.EDU (Dan Flak) (05/08/91)
This is an exact reprint (without permission) from the IEEE Spectrum
Magazine (May 91).
VENUS THY NAMES ARE WOMEN
It's a cartographer's dream or nightmare. The Magellan spacecraft's
imaging radar is mapping the surface of Venus and someone has to name
the 4000 or more features that are likely to be identified. So the
scientists of the Magellan Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
along with the Flagstaff, Ariz., office of the U.S. Geological Survey,
have appealed to the world for suggestions.
Since previous agreements have made the International Astronomical Union
the supreme authority of solar system nomenclature, the suggestions must
follow the union;s rules: all newly discovered features must be named
after women; some features can be named after goddesses of ancient
religions and cultures; and craters are to be named for real, notable
women, deceased for at least three years. Prohibited are 19th and 20th
century political and military figures and women prominent in any of
the six main, modern religions.
The team needs the dates of the woman's birth and death, a one- or two-
sentence rationale of her historical importance, and, if available, a
reference book citation.
Contact: Venus Names, Magellan Project Office, Mail Stop 230-210, Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Ca 91109.
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Dan Flak - McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., 201 Elliot Ave W.,
Suite 105, Seattle, Wa 98119, 206-286-4355, (usenet: nwnexus!mcgp1!flak)