NASA is encouraging the public to participate in its upcoming Artemis II mission in a unique way: by sending their names to the moon. People are invited to submit their names online, which will be saved on a flash drive and flown around the moon on the Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch in 2023.
The Artemis II mission is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2024 and establish a long-term human presence on the moon by the end of the decade. This program is seen as a stepping stone towards Mars exploration and other deep space missions.
The opportunity to send names to the moon is a part of NASA’s larger public engagement efforts. The agency hopes to inspire a new generation of space enthusiasts and increase public interest in space exploration. The Artemis II mission will be the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, and the first time astronauts have travelled beyond low-Earth orbit since the Apollo missions.
Participants in the “Send Your Name to the Moon” initiative will receive a boarding pass and can download a commemorative certificate. They can also view their names on the mission’s “passenger list” and track the mission’s progress online. The names will be saved on a flash drive, symbolizing the public’s involvement in the mission.
To submit their names, interested individuals need to visit the Artemis II mission website and fill out a simple form. Submission is free and open to anyone around the world. The deadline for submissions has not been specified, but NASA encourages early registration.
This is not the first time NASA has involved the public in its missions. In 2020, nearly 11 million people sent their names to Mars on the Perseverance rover. The rover also carried three silicon chips containing 10.9 million names and the essays of 155 finalists in NASA’s “Name the Rover” competition.
The public’s involvement in these missions not only fosters greater interest in space exploration, but it also highlights the role of international cooperation in advancing our knowledge of the universe.
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