If there is a competition in which NASA has managed to emerge as the undisputed champion, that is the public image. It was established in 1958 at the behest of the then President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, taking over from the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) which had been in operation since 1915, its popularity skyrocketing very shortly thereafter as a result. the beginning of the space race to the moon, especially from the historical «We choose to go to the moon in this decadence and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.«, uttered by JF Kennedy on September 12, 1962.

Although for various reasons from then until now, NASA has always had a good public image. In its early days, during the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, it was crucial for the agency to win the general approval of the American people, because the public investment made was more than substantial, to the extent that is estimated at around 2.5% of GDP country in those days.

Although interest in lunar missions plummeted once our satellite was reached with the Apollo XI mission, NASA created an excellent image in much of Western society (how many children born in the 1960s, 1970s dreamed of being NASA astronauts?), and although his budget today has nothing to do with what he achieved in the 1960s, Its managers are well aware that its image continues to be one of its great assets…and therefore also a key element in obtaining financing for your projects.

As I said before, some more and some less, practically all of us have dreamed of leaving our planet at some point, and although it is physically extremely complicated, the US space agency has already given us some opportunities in the past. for our name to leave our planet. And whether you’ve taken advantage of any of the previous opportunities or if you haven’t yet, another opportunity is opening up, and that’s NASA allows you to send your name to the surface of the Moon, which you can reach aboard the VIPER rover (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), which is part of the Artemis program.

The mission of this rover will be key in the development of future plans for the colonization of the Moon from will be devoted to the investigation of the water resources of our satellite. Its launch, operated by Astrobotic Technologies with its Griffin Mission One, is scheduled for later this year, but the deadline to get your name on board ends much earlier, namely March 15, so if you want, your name is present in the survey of the moon’s south pole , don’t leave it for tomorrow. You can sign up at this link.

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