Almost every child has dreamed of being an astronaut. We look up at the stars and wonder what’s up there. While not everyone will be an astronaut, there are other ways to get your name to space.
NASA has announced a public engagement campaign in which anyone can submit their name to be sent to Mars. The names will be etched onto a chip and sent with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. The names will be written “smaller than one-thousandth the width of a human hair”, according to NASA.
So far, over 4 million names have been submitted. A single chip can hold over a million names, but I think it’s safe to assume that NASA will be sending more than one chip with the rover.
Everyone who submits their name will receive a “boarding pass” for a flight to Mars. This boarding pass is, of course, for fun, and not a ticket to the Red Planet. It also “awards” frequent flyer points.
Anyone who wants to submit their name has until the end of September to do so. To submit your name, click here.
The rover will launch in July/August 2020 because Mars and the Earth will be close to each other. When they’re closer together, it takes less fuel, time, and money to launch. Therefore, these “close approaches” are simply the best time to launch.
This rover’s main research will be regarding potential life on Mars. The rover will drill into the Martian surface to collect rock and dirt samples. These samples will be set aside, potentially to be brought to Earth in the future. In addition, the rover will look for organic compounds in the rocks. Other functions include testing an oxygen-production method and looking for subsurface water.
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is going to allow us to understand the Red Planet’s history as well as we understand the Earth’s. In addition, scientists are hoping to answer questions about the possibilities of humans residing on Mars. That goal, however, is a long way away. NASA has recently announced plans to land humans on the Moon by 2024. This is a huge step towards Mars, but the Moon is considerably closer than Mars. Right now, the plan is to land humans on Mars in the 2030s.
Slowly but surely, humanity is going to Mars. It’ll be an exciting thing to watch. Click here for more information on Mars 2020.
madison brewer 