In addition to letting people submit their names, NASA’s “Send Your Name with VIPER” website lets users make and download a virtual boarding pass as a keepsake of their participation in this historic trip.
According to a statement from the space agency, NASA is offering the public a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have their names fly to the lunar surface onboard the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER).
Space enthusiasts around the world now have the opportunity to make history as part of the “Send Your Name with VIPER” campaign by submitting their names before the deadline of March 15, 2024.
“With VIPER, we are going to study and explore parts of the Moon’s surface no one has ever been to before – and with this campaign, we are inviting the world to be part of that risky yet rewarding journey,” said Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, allegedly expressing the importance of the moon mission.
In addition to letting people submit their names, NASA’s “Send Your Name with VIPER” website lets users make and download a virtual boarding pass as a keepsake of their participation in this historic trip.
The space agency invites social media users to use the hashtag #SendYourName to express their excitement.
The breakthrough role of the rover was emphasized by Daniel Andrews, the project manager of VIPER at NASA’s Ames Research Center, who said, “Our VIPER is a game-changer. It’s the first mission of its sort, extending our knowledge of potential harvest sites for lunar resources to enable a prolonged human stay on the moon.”
Launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, VIPER is slated for arrival to the lunar surface by Astrobotic Technologies’ Griffin Mission One in late 2024.
During its approximately 100-day mission, the rover—which is a component of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project under the Artemis program—will collect vital information about lunar ice and possible resources.
In order to set up a long-term lunar mission cadence in advance of manned exploration in the vicinity of the lunar South Pole and upcoming flights to Mars, NASA’s VIPER mission is essential.
