NASA spacecraft will take your name to Mars; Have you signed up yet?

New York, Oct 9: Would you like to imprint your name on the surface of the Red Planet?

is giving you a chance to send your name to

via its Orion

, scheduled for a test flight Dec 4.

Nearly 95,000 people have already submitted their names. To sign up, visit NASA's website on Orion's Mars visit, fill out some basic information and submit. The site will then generate a digital "boarding pass".

You will get the message: "Success! Your name will fly on Orion's flight test". All the collected names will be included on a microchip.

The deadline for sending your name aboard the Orion test flight is Oct 31.

"NASA is pushing the boundaries of exploration and working hard to send people to Mars in the future. Flying these names will enable people to be part of our journey in the future," Mark Geyer, Orion Programme manager, was quoted as saying in a CNET report.

The first Orion test trip is set for a 4.5 hour mission in orbit around Earth. It will then take a flying leap back through the atmosphere and land in the Pacific Ocean.

IANS