The deadline to submit names for inclusion on the microchip ended on November 1, 2019, and nearly 11 million names as well as 155 student essays were added as a result of the campaign. The entries were etched onto three silicon chips the size of a fingernail using an electron beam, and these chips were then attached to an aluminum plate affixed to the Mars 2020 rover’s aft crossbeam.
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The 10,932,295 names and essays will blast off from Earth and be sent on their way to Mars, along with the car-sized Perseverance rover, between July 17 and August 5, 2020, a launch window that comes only once every 26 months. Despite the coronavirus pandemic that has caused the postponement of many scheduled events, NASA does not foresee the launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, being affected.
Perseverance will land inside Mars’ Jezero Crater, which once held a lake and a river delta, and its mission will be to hunt for ancient signs of Martian life. The rover also includes a small helicopter and an instrument that will create oxygen using the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere of Mars. Perseverance is also of course tasked with collecting samples, which will arrive back on Earth around 2031.
For those who missed out on the “Send Your Name to Mars” campaign, there is no need to feel left out. NASA has conducted similar campaigns in previous years, including one for the launch of its InSight lander, which reached the equatorial region of Mars in November 2018. The aeronautics and aerospace agency will undoubtedly make similar opportunities available in the future.
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Source: NASA
