Category Archives: Uwingu Fund

Mars, Uwingu, Uwingu Fund

Craters on Mars

2 Comments

Name a Crater on Uwingu’s Mars Map

Imagine the first Mars explorers setting foot on its rusty, sandy surface, using the Mars maps with names supplied by people from back home on Earth! Courtesy NASA/JPL
Imagine the first Mars explorers setting foot on its rusty, sandy surface, using the Mars maps with names supplied by people from back home on Earth! Courtesy NASA/JPL

The first human missions to Mars are not far away. Depending on which mission you’ve read about, and what you think of the current plans by NASA, SpaceX, Mars One, and others, those first Marsnauts could be setting foot on the Red Planet in the next decade or so. When they do that, they’re landing on virgin territory, a place where no one has walked before. It’s exciting. It’s exhilirating. And, it’s going to require a LOT of planning in advance.

Of course, the mission specifics are important. No matter which group or country sends a mission first, they’re going to have to plan for infrastructure — places for people to live, work, dig out the natural resources they  need to survive. And, the first Mars explorers will need more mundane things, like maps with place names on them. They aren’t really going to have time to rush out and name every single rill and crater. Of course, there ARE names for the large regions, craters, and mountains on the planet. But, the smaller ones don’t really have names.

Mars Needs Names!

It would be good if they did, if for no other reason than to facilitate accurate and up-to-date communication about a team’s whereabouts to the mother base and back to Earth. That’s where the Uwingu Mars maps — and you — come in.  Uwingu is a group I’ve written about before; its members are raising funds through the sale of crater names on their Mars maps to help fund science research and education. They’ve been successful at this project for more than a year, and a lot of really cool people have bought the name of a crater on Mars for themselves or a friend or loved one. I have a crater on Mars, and I’m pleased that my contribution has gone to help fund a good cause.

Last year, thousands of people named craters on Mars to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day, and many others contributed money to name craters for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Father’s Day is coming up, and as they did for this past Mother’s Day, Uwingu is offering you a chance to name a crater for Dad, and commemorate it with a certificate you can download electronically or have framed. If you name one of the 50 largest craters on the map, you’ll get a special bonus gift certificate. It’s a great way to donate to worthy cause, and maybe even put a smile on Dad’s face!

You can get more information on the special offer and check out Uwingu’s maps on their Web site.

Uwingu, Uwingu Fund

Have You Beamed? I Have!

Leave a comment

Beam Me to Mars Registration Ends Soon

Beam you name to the Red Planet! Mars Orbiter Mission image, courtesy Indian Space Research Organization.
Beam your message to the Red Planet!
Mars Orbiter Mission image, courtesy Indian Space Research Organization.

There’s a cool fundraiser going on over at Uwingu.com called “Beam Me to Mars”.  It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first mission to Mars (launched November 28th, 1964). On that date, Mariner 4 launched and eventually was the first mission to successfully get to the Red Planet and send back images.

How can you join in? Simply by paying a few bucks and sending your own personalized message to the Red Planet (and also to the United Nations, Congress, and NASA). It’s a great tribute to the mission (as well as to the 50 years of cool Mars exploration we on Earth have undertaken and witnessed) and a good part of the money you pay goes for a good cause: science research and education.

How much will it cost you? Anywhere from $5.00 (USD) to $100.00 per message. Let’s put it this way: if you go out for a coffee every day, it’ll cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of a price of one grande frappucino with an extra shot. Or two of them, if you want to send a longer message. Or  four, for an even longer message. Or, if you’re a big spender, the equivalent cost of a dinner for two at a romantic place will let you send a nice long message, an image, or a sound file.

Better yet: buy your friend a message, too, deliver it with a lovely coffee (or that romantic dinner!), and you both win. Plus, science wins, education wins, and you get your message sent to Mars.

It’s up to you, and it’s all for a good cause.

Now, the sticking point here is that registration ends soon. There are nearly 81,000 names and messages that have to be prepared for the giant light-speed leap to Mars that will take place on November 24, 2014. In order for the Uwingu folks and their partner at Universal Space Network get all the prep done, you need to get your name, message, picture, or sound file (depending on what you choose), uploaded by the midnight Pacific Time on the 5th of November, 2014. That’s a week from today (Wednesday, October 29th).

So, check it out. Join me and other folks such as actors and space exploration supporters Seth Green, Clare Grant, George Takei, astronaut Chris Hadfield, Planetary Science CEO Bill Nye, author Dava Sobel, former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, scientist Maria Zuber and many others who think highly of the project and have included their messages.

While you’re at the Uwingu page, learn more about their unique mission of outreach and education in science. They are a great group of people and they’ve already helped scientists and educators (and students) do and learn more and better science!