[ad_1]
If you've ever thought about going to Mars, this is your chance. NASA is asking people to submit their names, which will be engraved on a chip on the March rover launched in 2020.
RELATED: ASTRONAUT FEMALE TO PARTICIPATE IN NASA'S ARTEMIS MISSION
The rover that NASA describes as a "robotic scientist" will land on the red planet in 2021 and look for signs of past microbial life, collect data on the planet's climate, and collect samples of Martian soil for their return. on earth. The rover marks a milestone in NASA's more ambitious plans to send humans into deep space.
NASA wants to share the excitement of the mission
"While we are ready to launch this historic Mars mission, we want everyone to participate in this exploration journey," said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at Washington.
"This is an exciting time for NASA, as we embark on this journey to answer deep questions about our neighboring planet, and even about the origins of life itself."
Lovers of space can submit their name by clicking on this link. Once their name, postal code and e-mail address have been entered, they will receive a limited edition "boarding pass" for the mission and will have the opportunity to earn "loyalty points" for future missions.
Inspire the next generation of astronauts
The campaign is part of an effort to raise awareness of NASA's activities and to inspire and educate children about STEM space and studies. More than 400,000 names have already been submitted, but you have until September 30 to register on the passenger list.
All names will be stencilled on a silicon chip; each line of text will be less than one thousandth of the width of a human hair (75 nanometers). More than a million names can fit on a single chip the size of a dime. The engraved tokens will circle the rover under a specially designed glass cover.
NASA is turning to space
NASA has clear plans to send humans to Mars, and the 2020 robot mission is a key part of this journey. The other mission to help prepare for a possible Mars mission is NASA's lunar mission, which is scheduled to take place in 2024.
NASA recently announced that the next crewed mission on the Moon would call Artemis and include a female astronaut. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the mission's name as part of NASA's updated budget request.
The agency is requesting an additional $ 1.6 billion to help launch the Artemis program. The current government has ordered NASA to accelerate its mission on the moon. President Donald Trump tweeted that he would update the current federal budget to include the additional $ 1.6 billion requested.
The current budget of the president already provides $ 21 billion for the agency. Some of the additional funds will be used to accelerate the development of the vehicles needed for the mission.
These include a new powerful rocket called Space Launch System, or SLS, as well as a new embedded spacecraft called Orion. The SLS will launch the Orion in the far space from where it will continue its journey to the Moon. Both of these vehicles are expected to be tested in 2020, but the exact date has not yet been set.
NASA has bragged that "this time, we will stay" to describe a future mission on the moon that would see the development of a space station orbiting the moon.
[ad_2]
Source link