Djurdjura biography of martin

Three iconic Algerian national parks—Tassili n’Ajjer, Ghoufi, and Djurdjura—have been immortalised on Mars, thanks to a proposal by Algerian physicist Noureddine Melikechi, a member of the Mars probe mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Melikechi, who is based in the United States, explained that the naming honours his homeland while highlighting the importance of preserving Earth’s fragile ecosystems.

“Our planet is fragile, and this is a signal to the world to take care of our national parks, whether in Algeria or elsewhere,” Melikechi told AFP.

The visual resemblance between the Martian terrain and the selected Algerian sites also inspired the choice.

Tassili n’Ajjer, a UNESCO-listed plateau in the Sahara Desert famed for its prehistoric art, was the first to come to mind.

“Every time I see pictures of Mars, they remind me of Tassili n’Ajjer, and now every time I see Tassili n’Ajjer, it reminds me of Mars,̶ NASA Names Martian Landscapes After Algerian National Parks SUKEL