Haikus in Space

Looking for a wider audience for your work? Consider the stars. NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission is launching late in 2013, and NASA is running a contest for messages, in haiku form, to be sent onboard the craft. The contest is open to “everyone on planet Earth,” though participants must be 18 to sign up for an account and login (minors are encouraged to have a parent or teacher assist them).

Entries are accepted from May 1 to July 1, and from July 15-29, the public will vote to choose the top three messages. The names of all entrants will be written to a DVD that will be sent on the craft as well.

The goal of the MAVEN mission is to understand Mars’s upper atmosphere. The team also promotes education and outreach about science and space with students and the public.