1 of 2 | The Orion spacecraft (pictured in March) is seen as it undergoes preparations for the NASA Artemis II mission at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
Sept. 9 (UPI) -- NASA invited the public on Tuesday to grab a boarding pass and be a part of the space agency's test flight of its Artemis II mission set to launch four astronauts into orbit next year.
Officials at the U.S. space agency NASA said its public effort to involve civilians in the orbital venture around the moon and back in the Artemis test mission flight means individual spots for "Send Your Name with Artemis II" need to be claimed before January 21.
The Artemis II program is a "key test flight in our effort to return humans to the moon's surface and build toward future missions to Mars," according to Lori Glaze, NASA's acting associate director for exploration systems development based in the nation's capital.
NASA is prepping for its 10-day Artemis II 1 mission next year that will send a crew of four astronauts around the moon in the bid to prep for future crewed landings on Earth's neighboring satellite and beyond.
