New Delhi:
The National Aeronautics and Space Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars 2020 rover will be launched on July 1, 2020. If all goes according to the plan, the rover will touch down on Mars in February 2021. NASA’s Mars 2020 mission’s aim is to study the red planet's climate, geology and also collect samples and return to Earth. The rover will also search for microbial life. The US space agency has also invited people to send their names to Mars. Yes, you read it right. You can send your names to Mars but do it today itself. Today (September 30) is the last day to submit your name online.
In a tweet, NASA said, “Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage! Our #Mars2020 Rover is gearing up for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet and you can send your name along for the ride. Get your boarding pass before 11:59pm ET on Sept.”
Take a look:
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage! 🚀
— NASA (@NASA) September 29, 2019
Our #Mars2020 Rover is gearing up for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet and you can send your name along for the ride. Get your boarding pass before 11:59pm ET on Sept. 30: https://t.co/mX7bZ5Ev6g pic.twitter.com/iREOx121pQ
Want to send your names to the Mars: CLICK HERE
Also Read: NASA Asteroid Alert: Three Deadly Space Rocks Dangerously Approaching Earth, Will they hit?
Those who register their names get a souvenir boarding pass and frequent flyer points. Interestingly, over 9.8 million people have submitted their names so far.
It is to be noted that the Microdevices Laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will stencil the names on a silicon chip using an electron beam, once the submitted names are reviewed and approved.
"As we get ready to launch this historic Mars mission, we want everyone to share in this journey of exploration," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "It's an exciting time for NASA as we embark on this voyage to answer profound questions about our neighbouring planet, and even the origins of life itself," he added.
It is worth mentioning here that more than 2 million names were sent on NASA's InSight mission to Mars and about 1.1 million names were installed on Parker Solar Probe.
