December 07, 2005

Add your name to a NASA probe going somewhere really far. Name gets put on microchip, chip gets put on probe, probe gets blasted off into space, will go somewhere, may or may not work. (Hell, you signed that internet petition to stop the war in Iraq, maybe your luck will be better this time around.)

[via Fark (I know, I know...), where they're busy falling over each other poo-pooing the link, but I still think it's a cool concept. Just like when I sent my name off for one of the Mars expeditions that went kablooey.]

posted by Capt. Renault 19 years ago
  • My name's already on Mars, thank you very much.
  • Whoa is this like signing up for that cult that committed suicide? Sorry name escapes me for now and too lazy to search!
  • He said "probe"...
  • You mean I can sign the internet petition to stop the war on Andromeda 12, as well? Whoa is this like signing up for that cult that committed suicide? Sorry name escapes me for now and too lazy to search! Heaven's Gate.
  • Can I get a star named after me too? Does it come with property on the moon?
  • Yeah, right. I put my name on this thing and it crashes into some planet inhabited by 12-foot tall lizard-headed creatures, killing thousands of them. Who do you think they're gonna come looking for???
  • Mystery solved. It was Rocket88 who killed off the dinosaurs.
  • Thankyou planet
  • Actually I figure the spectacular meteor that i saw plummeting to earth tonight was probably the one with my name on it. Sighs
  • Man, putting your name on this thing is like signing a diatribe against the boss that some mope is going to send to "Reply All." Only, you know, with testy aliens and giant mothership-borne lasers. I'll pass, thanks.
  • I'm not going to advertise my presence to those fucking aliens, I've been trying to avoid them all this time, why would I send them my name? I suppose it could be a good way to taunt them, but I'm not that stupid.
  • Mine, my sisters', my then SO and my nephews' names are already on some probe in Mars I think. Thinking back, I hope aliens don't think is something of a food delivery flyer.
  • Yeah, right. I put my name on this thing and it crashes into some planet inhabited by 12-foot tall lizard-headed creatures, killing thousands of them. Who do you think they're gonna come looking for??? posted by rocket88 at 03:53PM UTC on December 07, 2005 Um, Rocket, they'll probably come after you anyway when they figure out the translation of your name.
  • The Dawn project is currently in a "stand-down" mode for various reasons (multiple test problems with their fuel tanks and asking NASA for a bunch of extra millions to finish), so I'm not too certain that whatever names are sent are actually going to launch anytime soon. And I'd say there's a chance that they may not launch at all.
  • context
  • I'm not going to advertise my presence to those fucking aliens, I've been trying to avoid them all this time, why would I send them my name? I've been trying to do the same with the subscriptions department at Reader's Digest for years. All the aliens have to do is hack their database and you, my friend, are gently cooling toast on the breakfast table of carnivorous fungus from outer space.
  • "COST-CUTS AT NASA ELIMINATES DAWN"
  • Someone has already decided to send a special message to the stars.... http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/DawnCommunity/Sendname2asteroid/Index_print_ast_blt.aspx?vname=Fuck%20George%20Bush
  • You do realize, of course, that "fuck" in Alien means "all hail the wise and thunderous"...?
  • I've been trying to do the same with the subscriptions department at Reader's Digest for years. As have I with the DNC, D-triple-C, and the Friends of John Kerry. Never tell a political organization that you might one day possibly in some conceivable universe make a donation out of some as of right now entirely hypothetical extra cash you could be said to not un-possess. Your name will be passed around like a badly-rolled joint at a Dave Matthews Band concert.
  • That could be used to your advantage, MCT, if you have a high tolerance for snail-spam. Send every group that you severely dislike a buck to get on their list, and watch them spend more than that buck to get you to give more. It would be your small way of leaching money from that group, one first-class stamp at a time. It also backfires, as I'm 100% certain that Amnesty International and the World Wildlife Fund have spent more money proselytizing me in my low-cash-flow years than I ever gave them when I had more disposable income.
  • Would your name make it to an astrological body, such as planet or an asteroid? Probe-ably! Ah! Ah Ha ha ha ha!! Ohhhh *sniff* Woo!
  • *clunk*
  • Would your name make it to an astrological body, such as planet or an asteroid? Probe-ably! I'll get the car battery and the jumper cables, someone hold him down.
  • No no, Take off those angry faces! I don't wanna rocket the boat! Weddings and parties folks, reasonably priced!
  • Names of all my enemies duly sent off to the 12-foot lizard people.