Welcome Earthlings: NASA Reveals How You Could Go to Moon in 2024

Here's your big chance to be part of a lunar adventure.

NASA is extending an invitation for individuals to include their names in a registry that will touch down on the moon's surface as a crucial element of an upcoming mission.

Scheduled for launch later this year, NASA's inaugural robotic lunar rover, VIPER, or Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Roverf, is primed for a journey to the lunar South Pole.

The mission's objective is to “unravel the mysteries of the Moon's water and better understand the environment where NASA plans to land the first woman and first person of color under its Artemis program, the space agency announced recently.

As part of the "Send Your Name with VIPER" initiative, NASA is providing the public with an exclusive opportunity to have their names affixed to the rover before it embarks on its mission.

Individuals interested in participating can secure their place on the list by obtaining a virtual keepsake, known as a "boarding pass," which can be downloaded to commemorate this unique experience.

The NASA website guides users to input their first and last names, along with a personalized PIN crucial for future access to their boarding pass. The deadline for name submissions is set at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 15.

Participants are also encouraged to amplify their involvement by sharing their requests on social media using the hashtag #SendYourName.

The campaign mirrors past space missions that featured similar initiatives, allowing millions of people to inscribe their names on various spacecraft, including Artemis I, several Mars missions and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission.

The VIPER campaign draws inspiration from NASA's long standing tradition of incorporating inspirational messages on spacecraft exploring our solar system and beyond.

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VIPER is poised to navigate uncharted regions of the moon in a journey described as both risky and rewarding, according to Nicola Fox, the associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Fox envisions the names of participants riding along as VIPER traverses the challenging lunar South Pole terrain, gathering crucial data that will enhance our understanding of the Moon's history and the environment where Artemis astronauts are slated to land.

In a groundbreaking move, VIPER will also be the first rover to document resources on the moon such as water and ice. NASA sees these resources as potential sources for sustaining human exploration not only on the Moon but also on Mars and beyond.