05.13.08
How cool would it be to have your name on board the spacecraft that discovers the first known Earth-like planet beyond our solar system? You can do just that, as the planet-finding Kepler Mission is offering an opportunity to submit your name to be included on a DVD that will be aboard the spacecraft when it is rocketed into space.
Kepler is scheduled to launch in February 2009 from Cape Canaveral, FL. "This mission will provide our first knowledge of Earth-like planets beyond our solar system," said Kepler Mission principal investigator William Borucki from NASA's Ames Research Center.
The Name in Space DVD will be mounted on the exterior of the spacecraft in November 2008. A video of the DVD being mounted on the spacecraft will be taken and posted on the Kepler Mission web site prior to the spacecraft being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in December. A copy of the DVD with all of the names and messages will be given to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Washington.
"It's a way for the public to participate in our space program," explained David Koch, deputy principal investigator for the Kepler Mission. There is no limit to the number of names that can be submitted for inclusion on the DVD.
Anyone who wants to participate in the Name in Space project should submit their name, the state or country they live in and, if they desire, a short statement (500 words or less) answering the question: "Why do you think the Kepler Mission is important?" The deadline for submissions to the Kepler Mission Web site is Nov. 1, 2008. There is no charge for participating in the project or for printing the Certificate of Participation.
To submit names and learn more about the Kepler Mission, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov.
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