Nasa names Mars rock after Rolling Stones as Mick Jagger says : 'I want to put it on the mantelpiece'

When Nasa's InSight lander touched down on Mars in November it upset a rock, sending it tumbling over the Martian surface.

Now that rock has been named 'Rolling Stone Rock' in honour of The Rolling Stones.

The announcement was made by actor Robert Downey Jr ahead of the band taking to the stage at Pasadena's Rose Bowl Stadium in California, the home of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (JPL)

"Cross-pollinating science and a legendary rock band is always a good thing..." said Downey Jr before the 'Stones No Filter' concert.

Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger said: "Nasa has given us something we've always dreamed of, our own rock on Mars.

"I can't believe it, I want to bring it back and put it on our mantlepiece."

The rock, which is a little larger than a gold ball, appear to have rolled around three feet on November 26th, pushed away by InSight's braking thrusters as it touched down on a mission to study the Red Planet's interior.

In images taken by by the lander the following day, several divots in the red Martian soil can be seen. It is the furthest Nasa has seen a rock roll while landing a spacecraft on a another planet. And it's the first rock to be named after a rock band.

JPL geologist Matt Golombek whose job it is to count rocks and assess the safety of potential landing sites said: "I've seen a lot of Mars rocks over my career.

"This one probably won't be in a lot of scientific papers, but it's definitely one of the coolest."

In a statement, the Rolling Stones said: "This is definitely a milestone in our long and eventful history.

"A huge thank you to everyone at NASA for making it happen."