In an effort to spark interest in science among the younger generation, NASA likes to engage space enthusiasts worldwide with its missions. One way that this is done is by offering people the opportunity to have their names flown on spacecraft that are traveling around our solar system.
NASA’s next rocket launch opportunity to submit your name for possible inclusion is the VIPER mission, which includes the space agency’s first robotic moon rover.
Later this year, the Lunar South Pole will be explored by the VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover). This region contains some permanently darkened areas that are of considerable interest to scientists looking for the presence of water ice. In the future, this valuable resource might be extracted to support human exploration of the moon and Mars. It might even be processed to produce fuel for rocket launches from our closest neighbor.
The results of NASA’s VIPER robot, which will be the first rover to map the distribution and concentration of water ice and other resources, have the potential to revolutionize how we plan and carry out extended space missions.
Visit NASA’s dedicated webpage to fly your name to the moon. Enter your name and a PIN code to obtain your boarding pass closer to the VIPER mission launch, which is presently slated for November 2024. To date, almost 13,000 individuals have registered to have their name sent to the moon.f
