Fly your name to Mars aboard NASA’s next mission

Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters, said, “Next step in the journey to Mars is another fantastic mission to the surface”.

Imagine opening a door and being greeted by the red, dusty surface of Mars, boulders scattered across the distant landscape, a pale sun in the sky.

Buying tickets into space has typically been the reserve of governments and billionaires, but if you want to send your name on an interplanetary jaunt NASA might now be able to accommodate you.

InSight will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in March 2016 and land on Mars on September 28, 2016. It also will deploy a self-hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet. This research aims to improve understanding of how rocky planets, like Mars and Earth are formed and evolve over time.

Last week a development test was conducted of the engine of the rocket at the Stennis Space Center located in Mississippi. The InSight endeavor will be the second mission to allow the public to procure points via a fly-your-name opportunity.

After InSight, the next opportunity to earn frequent flier points will be NASAs Exploration Mission-1, the first planned test flight bringing together the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule in preparation for human missions to Mars and beyond. According to the space agency’s future plan, the Orion spacecraft will take astronauts to deep space destinations like the Red Planet and asteroid.

Submissions to send your names to Mars via InSight will be accepted until September 8. Participants are given “frequent flier” points that provide them with alerts of future missions and a “boarding pass” in appreciation of their support of NASA. However, more members of the general public may get that chance to be on Mars, and all that is required is their signature.