Pimpri-Chinchwad: In a historic milestone for the Pimpri-Chinchwad city, the names of 32 students and 16 teachers from Municipal School No. 92 in Mhetrewadi are set to reach the Moon. Under the United States of America's (USA) National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis II mission, these names will be stored on an SD card and sent into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft.
As part of this unique initiative, NASA has officially issued boarding passes to the participating students, PCMC officials announced on Tuesday.
The primary driving force behind this prestigious achievement is Tech-Mentor teacher Anandi Jangam. NASA’s Artemis II mission is considered a critical stepping stone toward future human lunar landings. To spark interest in the field, an astronomy lab has already been established at the school in Metrewadi.
Boarding Pass Issued By Nasa | Sourced
This initiative is aimed at enhancing students’ knowledge of space science. Previously, the names of students and teachers from this school were also sent during a Mars mission.
Deputy Commissioner of the Education Department Mamata Shinde, Administration Officer Sangeeta Godekar-Bangar, Assistant Administration Officer Razia Khan, and all supervisors extended their special congratulations to the school.
Tech-mentor teacher Anandi Jangam told the media, “NASA had issued an open call for ‘Virtual Guests’ to participate in this mission. Our school completed the registration process, which is why the students received these boarding passes. The names of these students and teachers will be stored on an SD card and sent to the Moon via the Orion spacecraft.”
About the Artemis II mission
NASA’s Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in human space exploration as the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 more than five decades ago. The mission will carry four astronauts named Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched using the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket.
The approximately 10-day mission will take the crew beyond low Earth orbit, swing them around the Moon, and return them safely to Earth. The mission is planned to conclude with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II is designed as a critical test flight to validate Orion’s systems with astronauts on board. It will pave the way for future lunar landing missions under the Artemis programme. While it will not land on the Moon, the mission will thoroughly test deep-space navigation, life-support systems, and re-entry procedures.
The launch is currently targeted for April 2026, subject to technical readiness and weather conditions.
As part of its global public outreach, NASA has invited people worldwide to participate in its “Send Your Name Around the Moon” initiative. Names submitted online are stored on an SD card aboard Orion, and participants receive a digital boarding pass. This makes the mission both a scientific and an inspirational endeavour, especially for students and young learners.
