Send Your Name to Mars on Orion's First Flight

NASA may not have yet figured out how to send humans to Mars, but that doesn't mean you can't make a name for yourself. The space agency is inviting the public to send their names on a microchip that will travel to destinations beyond the low-Earth orbit, including Mars, aboard the Orion spacecraft's first flight.

Your name's astronomical journey will begin on a dime-sized microchip when NASA's Orion spacecraft launches Dec. 4 on its first test flight, designated Exploration Flight Test-1. Once it takes off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, it will circle Earth a couple times for 4.5 hours before whizzing back through the atmosphere at speeds of almost 20,000 mph and temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,204 Celsius), before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

But this is just the beginning of your name's interstellar voyage. After returning to Earth, all the John and Jane Does will continue to hitch a ride on future NASA exploration flights and missions to Mars. With each flight, selected individuals will collect more and more "frequent flyer miles," just for fun, giving space enthusiasts a taste of what it's like to be on one of NASA's missions.

"NASA is pushing the boundaries of exploration and working hard to send people to Mars in the future," Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager, said in a news release. "When we set foot on the Red Planet, we'll be exploring for all of humanity. Flying these names will enable people to be part of our journey."

The Orion spacecraft, in its final preparations for the December launch, is also designed to carry astronauts to asteroids and Mars one day. But even before that, over 267,804 people have already signed up and received their "boarding pass" for the brief loop around Earth.

For those less daring, this space ride is a safe alternative to one-way mission being offered by the Dutch company Mars One. The corporation announced last year that it was looking for volunteer astronauts to fly to the Red Planet on a spacecraft scheduled to depart in 2022 and land on Mars in 2023. Unfortunately, there is no technology available for a return mission. And yet, tens of thousands of people have volunteered for its approximately $6 billion program.

But if you're simply looking to get your name out there on the Orion, click here to get your boarding pass from NASA. But hurry, names will be accepted only until Halloween, Oct. 31.