Fancy being a part of NASA’s highly anticipated Artemis I mission to the moon?
No, the space agency hasn’t put out a last-minute call for regular folks to climb aboard the moonbound Orion spacecraft for the trip of a lifetime. But it is offering the somewhat quirky opportunity to have your name added to a flash drive that will travel aboard the Orion for its lunar flyby in the coming months.
NASA announced the plan in March and since then nearly 3 million people have submitted their names for the upcoming test flight. And this week is your last chance to put your name down if you haven’t already done so.
This is the last week to fly your name around the Moon on #Artemis I! >> https://t.co/8Sn9yaRW5P
💻 Sign up
🖨 Print your boarding pass
🚀 and have your name fly around the Moon onboard SLS and the Orion spacecraft’s first test flight! pic.twitter.com/nX7vFkLhaa— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) June 7, 2022
To have your name blasted into space, all you have to do is visit NASA’s website and enter your name and a PIN code, which will come in handy later (so don’t forget it!).
For your efforts, you’ll be presented with a digital boarding pass showing your name and flight details. The pass will also include a QR code, which, if scanned, takes you to an invitation to become part of NASA’s Virtual Guest Program, offering you the chance to virtually attend launches and other special events organized by NASA.
The space agency’s Artemis I mission will mark the first uncrewed test flight of the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The rocket is currently on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center awaiting final ground-based tests later this month. If all goes well, the Artemis I mission is expected to launch toward the moon this summer.
Following that, Artemis II will send Orion on the same path, but with a crew on board, while Artemis III will endeavor to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, possibly as early as 2025.
“All eyes will be on the historic Launch Complex 39B when Orion and the SLS lift off for the first time from NASA’s modernized Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” NASA said, adding that the mission will demonstrate its “commitment and capability to extend human existence to the moon and beyond.”
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