NASA honours Rolling Stones by naming rock on Mars after band

US space agency NASA on Friday announced that it has named a rock on Mars in honour of the iconic English band, The Rolling Stones.

The space agency shared the news on Twitter, revealing that the “Rolling Stones Rock” was a stone that was sent rolling after NASA’s InSight lander touched down on the Mars surface.

“Hello @RollingStones Rock. Who could hang a name on you? Um… us! When @NASAInsight touched down on the Red Planet, its engines sent a rock rolling across Mars surface. We named it for the band,” NASA tweeted along with an animated video describing the incident.

Hello “@RollingStones Rock” Who could hang a name on you? Um… us!

When @NASAInsight touched down on the Red Planet, its engines sent a rock rolling across Mars' surface. We named it for the band. Take a closer look and learn how #MarsRocks get named: https://t.co/xY0TfoksJP pic.twitter.com/BZlABAMaZJ

— NASA (@NASA) August 23, 2019

Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr also shared the news after he crashed the band’s concert here. “Cross-pollinating science and a legendary rock band is always a good thing…” he said at the concert.

The popular band, which consists of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, were delighted to hear the news.

“What a wonderful way to celebrate the Stones No Filter tour arriving in Pasadena. This is definitely a milestone in our long and eventful history. A huge thank you to everyone at NASA for making it happen,” they said in a statement.

Tonight was out of this world! ? Thanks for celebrating with us @robertdowneyjr and thank you to all the team at @NASA @NASAJPL @NASAInSight @MarsCuriosity #marsrocks pic.twitter.com/UqcCJyT0w2

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) August 23, 2019