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NASA offers the chance to ‘fly your name around the moon’

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If becoming an astronaut is no longer part of your career plan but you still love to dream of traveling to space, then how about sending your name instead?

NASA is inviting people to submit their names, which will be added to a flash drive and sent on a flyby of the moon on the upcoming Artemis I mission, which is set to take place in the coming months.

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While fireside tales of your name’s space voyage may fail to elicit looks of awe during fireside chats with your future grandkids, it’s a fun idea nonetheless.

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To send your name into orbit, simply head to NASA’s website, enter your full name along with a PIN code, and hit “submit.” You’ll then be presented with a boarding pass featuring your name and flight details. It also includes a QR code that links to a NASA webpage inviting you to become a virtual guest at launches and major events linked to its work.

And don’t forget your PIN as you’ll need it to access your boarding pass closer to the Artemis I launch.

We’re getting ready for #Artemis I — and we want to take you with us.

Add your name to the upcoming mission and it will be flown aboard the @NASA_Orion spacecraft as it orbits the Moon: https://t.co/DBmI3axfyH pic.twitter.com/KnoQaiyJcj

— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) March 2, 2022

The Artemis I mission will be NASA’s first uncrewed flight test of its next-generation Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Orion will perform a flyby of the moon before returning to Earth several days later.

If everything goes to plan, Artemis II will take the same route, but this time with a crew aboard Orion. Following that, Artemis III, which is currently slated for 2025, will aim to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in what will be the first crewed moon landing since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

NASA says the Artemis program demonstrates its “commitment and capability to extend human existence to the moon and beyond,” and will mark “the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the moon for decades to come.”

Oh, and you might be interested to know that as your name heads to space, it’ll be traveling alongside Snoopy kitted out in custom-made NASA gear. Now that should get the grandkids’ attention.

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
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