( CNN ) -- Maybe you chickened out on the one-way trip to Mars that was being offered . But never fear , there 's still a way for you to make a name for yourself . NASA is inviting the public to send their John and Jane Does to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit , including Mars . Spacey idea , right ? Pack lightly , because your name will fly in comfort on a dime-sized microchip aboard an Orion spacecraft that launches on December 4 . The test flight will circle Earth a few times before a fiery reentry and a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean . Sounds like fun , huh ? Bet you 're ready to sign up . It 's easy enough . Sleeper spaceship could carry first humans to Mars . As an Earthbound intrepid explorer , you just enter your name -- and a few other details -- on the NASA website , click enter and you 're ready to go the distance . The names will also fly on future NASA exploration flights and missions to Mars . `` With each flight , selected individuals will accrue more miles as members of a global space-faring society , '' the agency 's site says . There is a deadline for such important matters . To get your `` boarding pass '' for the first test flight , you 'll need to submit your name by Halloween . What makes this more attractive is that it does n't end in death on a barren planet . More on Mars exploration . The alternative . A Dutch company called Mars One began looking last year for volunteer astronauts to fly to Mars . Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for 2022 , landing seven months later in 2023 . The one-way ticket makes the mission possible because it greatly reduces costs , and the technology for a return flight does n't exist , according to Mars One 's website . In the days after the potential mission was announced , the company said it has received more than 10,000 emails from interested would-be spacefarers . Will it happen ? No one knows for sure . The company says it needs $ 6 billion to fund the project . Check back in a few years . In the meantime , hedge your bets and send your name into space instead . Who knows , maybe it will get you on the Martian guest list early .
NASA is taking names , just names , to send into space . Eventually , some of the names will fly on a microchip to Mars . The deadline for the first mission is Halloween .