On the 15th July, I registered and participated in NASA's rover space programme. NASA issued me with a certificate of participation, where my name will be carried to Mars on a microchip carried by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover.
I got so many emails and comments in my inbox asking me details about how my name was chosen and why is it going to Mars.
Some of you might be thinking what's the point of sending your name to Mars?
What's the whole purpose of sending your name?
Well there isn't-- it's just for the fun of it. But what NASA is really doing is that they are engaging and trying to raise the awareness for their space programmes with the public via social media. The mainstream media has proved to have slowed down in their broadcast with NASA's space projects and therefore they took the leap to join in the evolution of social media.
Their efforts have proved to be successful and they are now able to create a personality for their spacecrafts and for people to connect and communicate on a personal level with their astronauts and authorities from NASA.
In fact today NASA's is known for sending more tweets and engaging widely via social media than they do by launching rockets.
The way I look at it with regards to sending your name to mars is this;
1. You can't send a man to Mars as YET --so the next best option is to send your name which might give the end user the so called "experience" of going to Mars;
2. It also suggests that virtual teleportation (holographic beaming) is on it's way and it's very much certain where we will be able to beam ourselves virtually into space (as you have seen in Star Trek);
3. NASA is also raising the awareness of the people and are engaging with the public on a personal level; and
4. To send out real time information on the web to heighten the experience of the viewer and information on space travel and discovery.
These are the changes that digital media is bringing and we must embrace these changes and be prepraed to explore any one of these possibilities that may come in your way.
To keep track on NASA's social media collaborations click here or
If you wish to participate then click here to send your name to Mars!
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