Have you ever dreamt of becoming an astronaut as a child? Or have you ever thought that setting foot on another planet is cool? Well, lucky you because until September 2019, you’ll get the chance to bring a little bit of you to the Red Planet.
Next year, the new Mars 2020 Rover is scheduled to take off for Mars and along with it will be the names of Earthlings who submitted to NASA. If you’re wondering how they’ll do it, the folks over at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will use an electron beam to stencil the submitted names onto a silicon chip. Each line of text will be smaller than 1/1000th the width of a human hair. It may sound small but it’s one way they could fit everyone’s names in. So far, it is reported that NASA has received over 6 million names as of June 6. If you’re planning to send yours, you have until the end of September to submit it. To submit your names to NASA, click this link – Mars 2020 Boarding Pass
The rover is expected to set foot on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, on the Jezero Crater. Its primary assignment will be to detect habitable environment and past life on the planet. Just this week, scientists installed twin high-definition Mastcam-Z cameras on its deck. It is reported that this new tech will be the first Mars color camera that can zoom.
Last February, people mourned the loss of the Opportunity Rover in Mars after a dust storm blocked the skies and prevented the rover’s solar panels to stay powered. Oppy may be gone but this new rover is expected to give us more helpful information regarding Mars.
Have you already submitted your name to NASA? Let us know in the comments below!
