Casper is a Martian rock, so is Yogi Bear

When it comes to names, the people at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are notorious for coming up with long, complicated terms for relatively simple mechanisms. Barnacle Bill is a multicolored rock with apparent projections on the surface.

Yogi, a much larger rock several meters from the landing site, is named after the animated television character Yogi bear. Flat Top, not surprisingly, is a flattish rock, while Casper appears to be white, like Casper the friendly ghost of comic book fame.

The Pathfinder lander itself was renamed on Saturday after the late NASA scientist and best-selling author Carl Sagan.The Sojourner, the roving explorer that will drive along the planet’s surface, was named after an African-American crusader, Sojourner Truth, who fought against slavery and worked for the Union Army during the civil war.