NASA is inviting people from around the world to send their names to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, aboard its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission. The names submitted by participants will be stored on a microchip carried by the spacecraft, with each participant receiving a personalised digital boarding pass as a memento of the mission.
According to a press release by NASA, people can submit their names through the agency’s official website until January 15, 2027. Those interested in participating can fill in their details online to have their names included in the mission.
“NASA’s Dragonfly mission will simply blow your mind,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.
She added that the mission would mark the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, allowing NASA to explore Saturn’s largest moon while searching for signs of habitability on a distant world that shares several similarities with Earth. Fox also said the agency was excited to bring people along on the journey by carrying their names aboard the spacecraft.
“By flying the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, NASA will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, as we search for signs of habitability on a distant world that is most similar to our own. We are excited to bring humanity along for the journey of a lifetime, and we invite everyone to send their names on this small, but mighty rotorcraft that will unlock the secrets of the universe in what is widely considered one of the most exciting space missions of our lifetime,” Fox said.
{{/usCountry}}“By flying the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, NASA will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, as we search for signs of habitability on a distant world that is most similar to our own. We are excited to bring humanity along for the journey of a lifetime, and we invite everyone to send their names on this small, but mighty rotorcraft that will unlock the secrets of the universe in what is widely considered one of the most exciting space missions of our lifetime,” Fox said.
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NASA’s Dragonfly mission
The Dragonfly rotorcraft is currently being assembled at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2028 and is expected to reach Titan in 2034.
Titan is known for its thick atmosphere, rivers and lakes of liquid methane, vast dunes and a landscape rich in organic material. Once it reaches the moon, Dragonfly will fly to different locations to study its diverse environments and search for clues about prebiotic chemistry - the chemistry that came before biology. The findings are expected to help scientists better understand the ingredients and conditions necessary for life.
Dragonfly is being designed and built under the direction of Johns Hopkins APL, which leads the mission for NASA. Elizabeth Turtle of APL is the mission’s principal investigator. It is the fourth mission under NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.