In 2015, NASA reached out to the general public to participate in its InSight mission to Mars by inviting people to submit their names to be put on a microchip on board the spacecraft. For those who missed the opportunity, NASA has invited people to submit their names to be added to a second microchip. The first round of saw 827,000 people adding their names, and in the second round, more than 900,000 people have already submitted their names.
Image: Nasa/JPL/Caltech
The principal investigator of the InSight mission, Bruce Banerdt says, "Mars continues to excite space enthusiasts of all ages. This opportunity lets them become a part of the spacecraft that will study the inside of the Red Planet."
Users who add their name to the list will get a boarding pass, that shows the Atlas V launch vehicle, the launch site as California, USA and the arrival site at Elysium Planitia on Mars. The name of the landing location means "Plain of Ideal Happiness." Users will also be able to accumulate frequent flier points, which was previously available for the Orion Spacecraft and will be available for the Exploration Mission-1 next. The boarding pass can be shared on social media, and users can invite their friends to submit their names as well.
Interested readers can submit their names here: https://mars.nasa.gov/syn/insight
The InSight spacecraft will detect Marsquakes and meteor strikes. A self hammering heat probe will tunnel into the ground, and explore the interiors of Mars at depths that no previous probes have reached. The mission will ultimately help scientists understand the evolution of all rocky planets, including Mars and Earth.
Published Date: Oct 04, 2017 07:15 pm | Updated Date: Oct 04, 2017 07:15 pm
