There's a new robot mission to Mars called Phoenix that's set to launch in August of 2007. One interesting tidbit is that NASA is going to include a DVD as kind of a "hello from Earth" on the spacecraft. If you want your name to be on it thereby preserving your legacy for hundreds of years, you can go to this web site. The closing deadline is 1 February 2007, so don't procrastinate.
NASA did something like this a few years back with the Stardust mission and my name is on it, now in space. At any time I can find out where my name, er, Stardust currently is.
I of course disclaim any responsibility for any Martians, thirty years from now, coming to Earth to seek out and eliminate anyone who littered their planet. Or if they send you "thought-spam" from across the Solar System for Martian pyramid schemes. Not my fault.
If the Moon is more your style, add your name (and a message!) to an upcoming Japanese mission to the Moon called SELENE. The deadline is 31 January 2007. I will, however, personally guarantee any attacks from creatures from the Moon resulting from this on this one. Consider it a holiday gift to you. (Go on, consider it. I'll wait.)
I don't think dark matter experiments will be doing this any time soon though.
Sign up on our web site and we'll take your name so deep underground that your oldest ancestors will have to excavate to find it!
Hardly compares to the romantic notion of sending your name to the stars.
Comments (3)
Posted by Cale January 21, 2007 18:21
"Sign up on our web site and we'll take your name so deep underground that your oldest ancestors will have to excavate to find it!"
Oldest ancestors? Excavation *and* time travel. Hmmmm...
Posted by Demitri January 22, 2007 01:22
See, because your oldest ancestors are currently deep underground after so many millennia, but even from their current position they'd have to go deeper. But yeah, they're dead, so they're not likely to.
Posted by Sue January 22, 2007 21:26
Hopefully the Phoenix has an extra parachute, so I don't have to shake my head in disgust, and then laugh...really hard, like the Genisis debacle.