Which 19th-century abolitionist was NASA's Sojourner rover named after?

NASA’s Sojourner rover was named after Sojourner Truth, the 19th-century African American abolitionist, women’s-rights advocate, and formerly enslaved person. The name honored a prominent campaigner for freedom and equality.

The rover’s name came from a student naming competition organized by The Planetary Society and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Valerie Ambroise, a 12-year-old student from Bridgeport, Connecticut, submitted the winning suggestion in 1995. Her choice connected the rover’s journey to Truth’s life as a traveling speaker and reformer.

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in New York around 1797. After gaining her freedom, she adopted the name Sojourner Truth in 1843, explaining that she had been called to travel and speak about abolition. She later became an important voice for women’s rights as well as emancipation.

Sojourner reached Mars aboard the Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997. It was NASA’s first successful wheeled rover on Mars and helped demonstrate technologies that shaped later missions such as Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance.