NASA name campaign for Mars Rover draws millions

Since launching an official campaign just over a week ago looking for some 2 million names to add to its Mars Rover 2020 mission, NASA has recieved around 5.8 million applications, reports the World Journal.

A screenshot of the boarding pass to Mars from NASA's website. [Photo: China Plus]

The rover is set to launch in July, 2020 and touch down on Mars in February, 2021 as part of a mission to explore microbial life on the 'red planet' and pave way for further exploration.

"I thought it was a joke when my friend told me that my name was selected, till I saw my name on the official website of NASA" said Qi, a Chinese national living in the United States. "I felt like my dream has come true."

Xie Qiong, a Chinese engineer working at the California Institute of Technology, says while more than 5.8 million people have submitted their names to NASA within one week, applications will continue to be accepted by NASA until the end of September.

The names will be added to a memory stick which will be included on the Mars rover.

This program also includes a souvenir boarding pass and "frequent flyer" points. The boarding pass, designed to generate more public interest toward NASA projects, will let people view the over 500 million kilometer journey via the NASA website.