NASA wants to send your name to the moon aboard its Artemis Robotic Moon Rover
NASA is once again extending an invitation to individuals worldwide to submit their names for a journey into space. This initiative, named “Send Your Name with VIPER,” involves sending participants’ names to the moon’s surface aboard NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) later in the year.
Scheduled to be part of the ongoing mission dedicated to comprehensive lunar surface exploration, VIPER will be launched as part of Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One. This mission is set to depart Earth on a Falcon Heavy rocket in late 2024. Once the rover reaches the moon, NASA aims to utilize it for exploring previously uncharted regions, advancing our understanding of lunar terrain.
The space agency says that the mission is risky but that the risk will pay off if they can successfully land it and explore the parts of the moon’s surface that they have set aside. As always, you can sign up for the Send Your Name with VIPER campaign on NASA’s website, and registration is open until March 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Once the agency collects the names, it will attach them to the rover. Participants can also create and download a virtual boarding pass to the VIPER mission featuring their name, which the agency has done with similar campaigns. Previously, NASA has allowed the public to send their name to space aboard Artemis I, the Europa Clipper mission, and more.
The Send Your Name with VIPER campaign represents one avenue for the general public to actively engage in NASA’s ongoing exploration endeavors. While the inclusion of names doesn’t contribute directly to the mission’s objectives, it adds a meaningful touch to this historic venture. Witnessing the representation of numerous individuals through their names on this mission serves as a unique and inclusive aspect of the broader space exploration initiatives led by NASA.