Name a planet/send your name to mars
October 16, 2015 by Montago Burgess
Have you ever wondered who names the heavenly bodies of our universe?I’m not talking about planets that were named ages ago like Pluto,Uranus or Neptune. No,I’m talking about the ones we find almost every other month.With names like Wasp-42b,it’s a wonder if our future generations will remember them at all.
The culprit is the International Astronomical Union(IAU).These are the guys who demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet.They are an international community and they call the shots on what goes on in the world of space and Astronomy.
Luckily,they’ve opened up and have begun the process of letting us vote for much more imaginative names.We have the opportunity to name 15 stars and 32 planets.At the moment there are 247 names to choose from,submitted by non profit organizations and Astronomy clubs.You can find a full list at NameExoWorlds.com.The closing date is October 31,2015.So hurry and vote guys.
In addition to naming a planet or star, you can also send your name and photo.
N.A.S.A has recently announced that it will be sending names inscribed onto a silicon slate along with the InSight Mars Lander,which is to be launched in February 2016.
Participants will be able to earn frequent flier points,which is infinitely better than the normal aviation kind you’ll get from flying to Rome.Other than the fact that your name will be on the Red Planet,the points is an indicator of your support for the Landers mission and of the support of the future of space exploration.
You can fill out the application form here:
https://go.usa.gov./3Aj3G
If you happen to miss this opportunity it’s OK.The next one will come in 2018 when N.A.S.A sends Orion to the moon to test its critical functions.
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I have never wondered about this. However, after reading your post, I am pondering on to this
This is a rather interesting idea. I don’t really mind names like Wolf-359, but do realize that for most folks, they can be a little hard to remember.
I’ve always minded. Not because it’s difficult to remember. But because we are naming celestial bodies. A world made entirely of ethanol deserves a better name than alpha-b42a. I treat science with the utmost respect, however, their creativity only seems to extend to their ingenious experiments.
By the way, I just went to the site to apply and it said that registration is closed. Apparently they aren’t waiting until the 31st.
You’re right. I’ll have to edit the post. I’ve sent my name already so I had to use different email,name E.t.c. @rextrulove while sending your name seems to be on hold( or maybe stopped for this launch) you can get regular updates and you will be sent a notification when you can send your name or photo again.
https://www.planetary.org/get-involved/messages/bennu/?referrer=https://www.google.com/