Courtesy of The Planetary Society (http://www.planetary.org)
PHOENIX DVD: A MEMORIAL... Now that the Phoenix spacecraft is safely en route to Mars, I think it is okay to mention the significance of some of the 250,000 names that were inscribed onto the disc. Like what was done with the microchip aboard the still-operating Stardust spacecraft—which contains the names of 58,000 soldiers who are also listed on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.—the names of those who perished in recent national tragedies are now onboard the Phoenix DVD. The 17 astronauts who lost their lives aboard Apollo I, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia (respectively) have their names on the disc... The names of the 17 sailors who were killed in the 2000 USS Cole bombing near Yemen have also been immortalized on the DVD...and last, but definitely not least, the names of the 2,000-plus victims of September 11, 2001 will also be part of an unofficial memorial on the northern plains of Mars. Unfortunately, due to time constraints (and the fact the list is still growing), the names of the 3,000-plus soldiers who have so far lost their lives in the Iraq war were not submitted for inclusion on the disc.
NASA JPL
On the other hand, the names of many noteworthy historical figures (obviously not to disrespect the people mentioned above) have also had their names submitted for the DVD. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gerald Ford, Pope John Paul II and even Gandhi are on a virtual journey to the Red Planet. On the contemporary showbiz side, Kiefer Sutherland (of the TV show, 24), Hugh Laurie (of the TV drama, House), their co-stars and a few other celebrities (even Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz of I Love Lucy fame) will hopefully find their names on the fourth planet from the Sun in May of 2008. How do I know about all this? I just do.
NASA / Lockheed Martin
That's what makes these public outreach efforts by NASA so interesting. Other than having our own names aboard spacecraft that will literally head for the stars, it gives people the opportunity to submit the names of family members, friends, other close acquaintances and respected public individuals for inclusion on what amounts to virtual monuments in deep space. Dawn and Kaguya (a Japanese moon mission formerly called SELENE) will hopefully follow suit next month (though Dawn should’ve already been in space BY NOW. Oh well... Kaguya is scheduled for launch on September 13). In terms of future opportunities to have our names flown to the heavens, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover will launch in 2009, and the Juno spacecraft will lift off for Jupiter in 2010. Having a public outreach effort for MSL should be a given...as every Mars lander since the 1997 Pathfinder mission have had names of thousands of people included on them [the names that were submitted for the 2001 lander mission (which got cancelled in response to the loss of the 1999 Mars Polar Lander at the Red Planet), which eventually got resurrected as Phoenix, were instead placed on DVDs that are now on the landers for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers...which are still operating on Mars more than three years after they landed in 2004]. Anyways, that is all.
NASA JPL
Have a safe journey to the Red Planet, Phoenix...as you are headed for a date with destiny on the Martian northern plains. There, you will slowly be entombed by ice months after you study Mars’ North Pole...and the DVD on your flight deck will await discovery by future astronauts who venture to the Red Planet. Hopefully, that’ll be around 30 years from now, haha. Unless the Vision for Space Exploration completely falters by then. God forbid.
PHOENIX Blog Entries Archive:
May 8, 2007
July 28, 2007
August 3, 2007
August 4, 2007
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