NASA Will Put Your Name in Earth Orbit

Even with your feet iresistably held fast to the ground, a part of you can soar into earth orbit. Thanks to NASA, you're getting an opportunity to send your name into space aboard the Glory climate-monitoring satellite. But you only have until November 1, 2008 to sign on.

Glory's scientific mission is to examine the effects of particles in the atmosphere while conducting a long-term study of the sun's output and its impact on our climate. As might seem obvious, the data will help in determining the sun's role in the suspected presence of global warming.

Sign Onboard as Proxy Crew

Those who take part will receive a printable certificate from NASA. Their names go onto a microchip that will be installed in the craft, which has a June 2008 launchdate. Participation in such an activity would be a wonderful opportunity for adults as well as children, provides an open invitation to educate yourself more on the space program that has radically changed our society, and might even make a amazing and cost-free birthday or Christmas surprise. One of the more interesting aspects is that as a taxpayer, you're already involved in the process.

Glory will launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California.

Website

NASA has set up a "Send Your Name Around the Earth" website at http://glory.gsfc.nasa.gov/ which allows you to sign up to include your name aboard the science mission.

The Glory website also describes the science mission, which will help measure airborne particles called "aerosols" more accurately than ever before from space. Aerosols are microscopic bits of substance suspended in the atmosphere, examples being black carbon soot, dust and smog.

The A-Train

The Glory satellite will go into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and join the Afternoon Constellation, a series of Earth-observing satellites also known as The A-Train. The seven spacecraft making up the A-Train, which five are now in orbit, follow each other in close formation with an orbit of 100 minutes.

The A-Train crosses the equator with satellites separated from each other by only a few minutes shortly after 1:30 pm EDT daily.