The space agency is offering the public a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their names fly to the lunar surface on board the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), according to a NASA release.
As part of the “Send Your Name with VIPER” campaign, space enthusiasts all across the world can now make history by sending their names in before the March 15, 2024 deadline.
Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, reportedly expressed the importance
of the moon mission, stating, “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.”
NASA’s “Send Your Name with VIPER” website not only allows participants to submit their names, but it also lets them to design and download a virtual boarding pass as a souvenir of their participation in this historic expedition.
According to the space agency, social media users are invited to share their excitement using the hashtag #SendYourName.
NASA’s viper rover: A groundbreaking mission for lunar resource exploration
Daniel Andrews, VIPER’s project manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center, stressed the rover’s groundbreaking role, stating, “Our VIPER is a game-changer. It’s the first mission of its kind, expanding our understanding of where lunar resources could be harvested to support a long-term human presence on the Moon.”
VIPER is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in late 2024 for delivery to the lunar surface by Astrobotic Technologies’ Griffin Mission One.
The rover, which is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project under the Artemis program, will be on the moon for nearly 100 days collecting critical data about lunar ice and possible resources.
NASA’s VIPER mission is a critical step in creating a long-term cadence of Moon missions in preparation for human exploration near the lunar South Pole and future Mars missions.