With the launch of the Parker Solar Probe later this summer, NASA is offering the opportunity to send your name to the sun on a memory card implanted within the spacecraft.
The launch of the Parker Solar Probe is a monumental occurrence, marking the first time a spacecraft has been sent from Earth into the sun. The space agency is offering enthusiasts the opportunity to participate in the mission as well, giving you the opportunity to send your name to the sun.
NASA recently launched a Summer 2018 Hot Ticket website, which allows you to sign up to send your name to the sun. These names will be included on a memory card that The Parker Solar Probe will carry on its mission to the center of our solar system.
The only thing that is required to send your name is a request for a name and email address. Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email for confirmation to complete the registration. Make sure you get your name in before April 27, as that is the last day that the space agency will continue accepting submissions.
In order to publicize their mission to send your name to the Sun, NASA hired William Shatner – renowned for his role as Captain James Kirk on Star Trek – as a celebrity endorser for the mission. Shatner has stated that he already signed up for the mission, and encourages you to send your name to the sun as well.
“The spacecraft will also carry my name to the sun, and your name, and the names of everyone who wants to join this voyage of extreme exploration,” Shatner said in the video.
While the idea of sending your name to the sun is novel and fun, NASA’s true goal with this mission is to increase awareness of this important mission that may serve to expand our knowledge of this massive ball of gas that is responsible for sustaining life on planet earth.
The Parker Solar Probe is named after the solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker, and will attempt to travel into the atmosphere of the sun in order to give us more information about how this important part of our solar system actually functions – seeking to answer the question, “how do stars really work?”
Of course, the Sun is incredibly hot and would melt anything man made that comes in contact with it, but the Parker Solar Probe uses advanced technology to withstand temperatures as high as 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a far cry from the huge temperatures present on the surface of the star, but the Parker Solar Probe will carry out its mission roughly 4 million miles away – close enough to get readings but not so close that it will be instantly incinerated. At this distance, the probe will be able to look at magnetic fields, solar storms, and other aspects that have a major impact on solar weather.
The Probe that will carry your name to the sun is set to travel at 725000 kilometers per hour and will travel the closest any man-made object has ever gone to the center of our solar system. Be sure to visit the Hot Ticket website to put your name on the memory card and be a small part of this hugely important mission.
