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NASA wants to fly your name to the Moon

Published Mar 7th, 2022 5:56PM EST
Blue full moon against milky way galaxy
Image: muratart/Adobe

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Fly my name to the Moon. Or, at the least, fly it around it. Space travel for humans is still quite a way off. However, NASA is at least offering a way for you to fly your name to the Moon if you’re so inclined.

NASA will let you fly your name to the Moon for free

A fictional spacecraft approaches the Moon.Image source: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KBRwyle)

NASA is already preparing to send people back to the Moon. Later this year, the agency will launch Artemis I, a mission designed to help build a long-term presence for humanity on the Moon. As a nice celebratory addition, NASA is also letting people add their names to a flash drive that will orbit the Moon inside of the Orion capsule.

To add your name to the flash drive, players will need to head over to the Artemis I website. Once there, click on the “Get boarding pass” button. This will direct you to a form where you should enter your first and last name, as well as a pin code. You’ll need the pin code to access your boarding pass later, so make sure you don’t forget it.

Once you’ve signed up, NASA will send you a QR code to virtually join the launch later this year. It’s a small token, but at least you’ll be able to tell people that you flew your name to the Moon sometime in the future.

When will the Artemis I mission launch?

NASA Orion spacecraft flying around MoonImage source: Liam Yanulis / NASA

NASA hopes to launch Artemis I later this year. The mission which will fly your name to the Moon has no set launch date just yet, though. NASA has tentatively set a time for some time in May of 2022. With any luck, we won’t have to wait much longer for the launch.

Ultimately, the Artemis I mission is the start of NASA’s push to put humans back on the Moon. In fact, the mission is designed to help put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. It’s a great goal, and one that many are behind within the space sector. NASA says Orion will fly around the Moon for roughly six days. The spacecraft will orbit 62 miles above the Lunar surface.

During its mission, Orion will remain in space for approximately a month as it flies your name to the Moon and around it. It’s designed to relay information back to NASA that should help give astronomers a basis for how spacecraft built for humans will perform during deep space exploration. NASA plans to follow up with the launch of Artemis II in May of 2024, with Artemis III in 2025. Artemis II will take astronauts around the Moon. Later, Artemis III hopes to place boots on the ground for the first time since 1972.

Josh Hawkins has been writing for over a decade, covering science, gaming, and tech culture. He also is a top-rated product reviewer with experience in extensively researched product comparisons, headphones, and gaming devices.

Whenever he isn’t busy writing about tech or gadgets, he can usually be found enjoying a new world in a video game, or tinkering with something on his computer.