[meteorite-list] Send Your Name on NASA's Mars Journey, Start with Orion

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4327

Send Your Name on NASA's Mars Journey, Start with Orion
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
October 7, 2014

If only your name could collect frequent flyer miles. NASA is inviting 
the public to send their names on a microchip to destinations beyond low-Earth 
orbit, including Mars.

Your name will begin its journey on a dime-sized microchip when the agency's 
Orion spacecraft launches Dec. 4 on its first flight, designated Exploration 
Flight Test-1. After a 4.5-hour, two-orbit mission around Earth to test 
Orion's systems, the spacecraft will travel back through the atmosphere 
at speeds approaching 20,000 mph and temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 
before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

But the journey for your name doesn't end there. After returning to Earth, 
the names will fly on future NASA exploration flights and missions to 
Mars. With each flight, selected individuals will accrue more miles as 
members of a global space-faring society.

"NASA is pushing the boundaries of exploration and working hard to send 
people to Mars in the future," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. 
"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 deadline for receiving a personal "boarding pass" on Orion's test 
flight closes Friday, Oct. 31. The public will have an opportunity to 
keep submitting names beyond Oct. 31 to be included on future test flights 
and future NASA missions to Mars.

To submit your name to fly on Orion's flight test, visit:

http://go.usa.gov/vcpz

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #JourneyToMars.

For information about Orion and its first flight, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion


Media Contact

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
818-354-7013
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov 

Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
brandi.k.dean at nasa.gov 

Rachel Kraft / Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100 / 202-358-1726
rachel.h.kraft at nasa.gov / dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov 

2014-344