NASA invites people from around the world to send their names to Mars aboard the Orion spacecraft's first test mission this winter.

The "Journey to Mars" program, which commences with Orion's test flight on December 4, will take names stored in a microchip the size of a dime for two quick trips around Earth.

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After 4.5 hours of low Earth orbit, the spacecraft will double back to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean on December 6.

But that's not where human names' journey ends. NASA is gearing-up to take the names to Mars when the Orion sets out on deep space manned missions to vetted asteroids and the Red Planet.

At present, over 150,000 people have already signed their name for Orion's missions by filling out basic information on the agency's name-collecting website. Upon submission, space geeks receive a digital boarding pass that confirms the names' future in the cosmos.

Submission of forms ends this October 31.

Orion's Program Manager Mark Geyer said NASA will send people to Mars in the near future.

"When we set foot on the Red Planet, we'll be exploring for all of humanity. Flying these names will enable people to be part of our journey," Geyer said in a statement.

With each flight, Earth-bound space travelers accrue space mileage as elite members of an international "space-faring society."

Orion's maiden blastoff goes by the name of Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) and is slated to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Mars-bound spacecraft will travel at speeds of up to 20,000 miles per hour around the Earth and will reach temperatures of up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it drops back to the ocean.

Assuming EFT-1 is successful, Orion will be recalibrated for future flights into deep space, including missions to Mars.  

TagsNASA Journey to Mars, Orion spacecraft test flight, Orion Mars mission