'It is wild!'; Asteroid named for University of Texas professor

Maruthi Akella's work includes lunar lander guidance and teaching at the University of Texas. (Credit: UT Austin)
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- "It's not my asteroid. I don't own it," said Maruthi Akella while discussing a newly named asteroid located more than a hundred thousand miles from Earth.The asteroid's name: Maruthiakella."It's now been a few weeks, and I guess it's still kind of in the process of sinking in," Akella said. The University of Texas professor is still awestruck by the honor.Of the 1.4