Send your name to NASA to fly aboard Mars 2020 rover

Washington: Although it will be years before the first humans set foot on Mars, NASA is inviting the public to submit their names to fly to the Red Planet aboard the US space agency's Mars 2020 rover.

The names — stenciled on chips — will be sent on the rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity's first round trip to another planet, NASA said in a statement. The rover is scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected to touch down on Mars in February 2021, it said.

The rover, a robotic scientist weighing more than 1,000 kilogramme, will search for signs of past microbial life, characterise the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. "As we get ready to launch this historic Mars mission, we want everyone to share in this journey of exploration," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) here. "It's an exciting time for NASA, as we embark on this voyage to answer profound questions about our neighbouring planet, and even the

origins of life itself," Zurbuchen said.