# Your name on a comet!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770 "2003-12-08T21:37:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Vorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c77e96/32.png) [@Vorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorona)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/1 "2003-12-08T21:37:11Z")

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So a friend of mine sent me this link… _supposedly_ you can enter your name on a database that will be put on a CD that will then be part of a craft that will be then slam in a comet.

Hoax or not? Here’s the link:

[www.deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/sendyourname/index.html](http://www.deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/sendyourname/index.html)

Or this another “Get your own star!” nonsense?

PS Couldn’t find any reference to this on Snopes!!

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/2 "2003-12-08T21:50:37Z")

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The actual link is [http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/sendyourname/index.html](http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/sendyourname/index.html)

They’re not asking for money, donations or anything of the sort, and it’s on NASA’s webserver. I see no reason to doubt its authenticity.

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**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/3 "2003-12-09T02:24:54Z")

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**NASA** is not generally in the habit of faking people out, and it’s not like this [hasn’t](http://www.planetary.org/html/news/Cassini/hot-top-cassini7.html) been [done](http://www.floridatoday.com/space/explore/stories/1998/061498f.htm) [before](http://www.msnbc.com/news/996466.asp). 😉

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/4 "2003-12-09T02:49:13Z")

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Of course, the probe is going to have a lot of scientific value aside from the names… It’s not like they’re launching this thing just to get the names there. And even in a spacecraft where weight is critical, a single mini-CD is light enough to make this a very inexpensive public outreach program.

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**Author:** ![Vorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c77e96/32.png) [@Vorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorona)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/5 "2003-12-09T15:46:13Z")

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Well waddya know…

Thanks guys!

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**Author:** ![Vorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c77e96/32.png) [@Vorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorona)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-name-on-a-comet/217770/6 "2003-12-09T15:46:20Z")

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Well waddya know…

Thanks guys! 😃