When it heads to the red planet later this year, NASA’s Perseverance rover won’t just be carrying scientific instruments — it will also carry the names of millions of space fans.
Last year, NASA launched its “Send Your Name to Mars” campaign in which members of the public were invited to submit their names to stenciled onto the rover. A tremendous 10.9 million people submitted their names, which have now been engraved onto silicon chips in a minuscule format using an electron beam. These chips, engraved with both names and winning essays from the “Name the Rover” contest, have now been attached to an aluminum plate on the rover which will launch on its journey to Mars later this year.