Oct 09, 2014 08:22 AM EDT
NASA is Looking For Names to Send Into Space

NASA is giving people the opportunity to have their names sent to Mars on its latest spacecraft.

People can send their names to NASA until Oct. 31, which will be added to a microchip and placed on board the space agency's Orion explorer.

Click here to add your name.

Orion is NASA's newest spacecraft developed specific for crewed missions to the moon, an asteroid and eventually the Red Planet, according to CNN.

A test flight is scheduled for Dec. 4, with a four-hour two-orbit mission around Earth to test its systems.

Orion will then travel back through the atmosphere at 20,000 mph before splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Names will continue to fly on future exploration flight conducted by the space agency, including its eventual mission to Mars.

"NASA is pushing the boundaries of exploration and working hard to send people to Mars in the future," Orion program manager Mark Geyer said in a statement. "When we set foot on the Red Planet, we'll be exploring for all of humanity. Flying these names will enable people to be part of our journey."

More than 200,000 people have put their names forward so far.

A Dutch company called Mars One started looking in 2013 for volunteer astronauts to fly to Mars. Departure for Mars is scheduled for 2022, landing seven months later in 2023, according to CNN.

A couple of days after the potential mission was announced, the company said it received more than 10,000 emails from people interested in volunteering.

One issue with the plan is that technology for a return flight currently doesn't exist.

No one knows for sure if the mission will actually happen however. The company says it needs $6 billion to fund the project.

In the meantime, at least you can send your name up into space.

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