We have now completed the project and map, with nearly 28,000 crater names submitted by people from 104 different countries on Earth. These purchases have help us award over $125,000 in grant funds for project related to space research, education and exploration.

Some of the worthy recipients include:

Mars One Project, Astronomers without Borders, National Space Society, The Galileo Teacher Training Program, The Allen Telescope Array at the SETI Institute, International Dark Sky Association, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space at the University of Colorado, CosmoQuest, Parabolic Arc, Space Foundation and multiple grants to individual students. 

Our final three grants for the have just been awarded to the SETI Institute and Lowell Observatory in the United States, and AstroPROJECT in India.

We encourage you to learn more about our grant recipients, consider following their updates on social media and/or volunteering to help them further their efforts. Learn more here: https://www.uwingu.com/the-uwingu-fund/

Although our Mars map feature naming project has ended, our website will remain active and you’ll be able to look up any of your named Mars craters and download the respective certificates from your account by logging into the site for years to come.

We have now compiled the entire database and map, with nearly 28,000 crater names, submitted by people from 104 different countries on Earth. As promised, we delivered this archive to our partners at Mars One. By agreement with us, they plan to send this map to the surface of Mars on their first mission, and they will be using it in their future missions.

This naming project has ended, but our website will remain active and you’ll be able to look up any of your named Mars craters and download the respective certificates from your account by logging into the site for years to come. And you can continue to explore Mars, and read the stories and inspiration behind all of the craters on the Uwingu map, the Citizen’s Map of Mars!

A few weeks ago we sent an email alert that we were wrapping up our Public Participation Mars Crater Naming project. Those doors are closed now, and we are not accepting any additional names or purchases. Planet naming and voting have now closed as well.

We are overwhelmed at all of the thoughtful stories shared through your Mars crater naming efforts. One Uwingu member, Ian Harnett, named almost 2,900 individual craters covering over 500,000 square kilometers of Mars, linking his craters in an intricate story mixed with Martian topography.

Here are some overall stats on Mars crater naming:

• Total craters named: 27,781. This is 25 times more than the IAU has named in 50 years!

• Top countries: US, Japan, Canada

• Total number of countries: 104

• Top US states: California, Texas, Florida

• Most popular name occurrences: Anna, Andreas, and Mark

• Largest crater named: 624 km – Eberswalde UWINGU, by Ian Harnett

Although the naming project is now ending, our website will remain active and you’ll be able to look up any of your named Mars craters and download the respective certificates from your account by logging into the site for years to come. And you can continue to explore Mars, and read the stories and inspiration behind all of the craters on the Uwingu map… the People’s Map of Mars.

Through your participation, we have been able to award over $125,000 in grants supporting space related research, education and exploration. These grants went to students, projects and organizations to help further their missions. Read more about the individual groups here.

We’re also be putting together a downloadable archive of all the Mars Crater names . We’ll share this information on our web site as soon as it has been compiled. Once compiled, these maps will be delivered to our partners at Mars One and Explore Mars for inclusion in their Mars flights.

The Uwingu Team

Space and astronomy public engagement company Uwingu announced today a very special way for anyone to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2017—by naming a crater on the world’s only citizen’s Mars map for a special Valentine’s someone. Prices start at $10, with half of each purchase going to fund space research and education grants through The Uwingu Fund. Each Valentine’s Mars map crater comes with a special, commemorative downloadable/electronic Valentine’s Day certificate.
Said Uwingu’s marketing chief, Ellen Butler, “What could be more special for Valentine’s than a place name on a map of a whole other world?”

Naming of Martian craters by the public is part of an Uwingu project to create the first citizen’s Mars map, with names for all of the approximately 500,000 unnamed features there. Craters can be named for anyone, including friends, family, co-workers, heroes, pets, places on Earth or in space, sports teams, musical artists, and more.

Uwingu’s citizen’s Mars map is already the most complete Mars map in the world with over 20,000 named features, and will be taken to Mars and used by two private space missions: Mars One and Time Capsule To Mars. Available crater sizes in Uwingu’s Mars map database range from under a kilometer (about a half a mile) across to over 350 kilometers (over 200 miles) across.
Uwingu is a for-profit, public engagement space company based in Boulder, CO, led by senior planetary scientists and astronomers (see http://www.uwingu.com/about-us/who-we-are/). Uwingu’s missions are to connect the public to space and space exploration in new ways, and to create a grant fund to support a wide range of space efforts by individual space researchers, educators, and organizations.

Space company Uwingu launched its 2016 holiday season promotion today, allowing customers to name craters on the Uwingu Mars map and create personalized Uwingu Mars crater naming certificates as gifts for Christmas, Chanukah, or as a nondenominational Seasons Greetings. These and other unique gifts at Uwingu’s website help celebrate the holidays, and are perfect for kids, friends, lovers, and colleagues with an interest in science, technology, or space itself!

“Having problems thinking of new gift ideas for someone who loves science in general or space and astronomy? We have just the perfect thing at www.uwingu.com!” said Uwingu’s CEO, planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern.

Like all Uwingu projects, half of the proceeds contribute to the Uwingu Fund that funds space research and education grants to researchers and space organizations. Added Uwingu’s chief of marketing, “I love that all purchases at Uwingu support much-needed new funding for space researchers and educators.”

Naming of Martian craters by the public is part of an Uwingu project to create a new Mars map, with names for all the approximately 500,000 unnamed features. The Uwingu Mars map is already the most complete Mars map in the world, and will be taken to Mars and used by two private missions:  Mars One and Time Capsule To Mars. Available crater sizes in Uwingu’s Mars map database range from under a kilometer (about a half a mile) across to over 350 kilometers (over 200 miles) across. Prices for naming craters vary, depending on the size, and begin at $10.  All crater certificates come with a handsome downloadable certificate, and framed certificates are available, just allow 10 days for framing and shipping.

Craters can be named for almost anything or anyone, including friends, family, co-workers, heroes, pets, places on Earth or in space, sports teams, and musical artists – only imagination is the limit!

In addition to naming a Mars crater or an exoplanet as a gift, people can also purchase Uwingu gift certificates so loved ones can name craters and other gifts themselves.

Uwingu’s Mars Map will be carried to Mars aboard both the first Mars One robotic lander and also on the Time Capsule to Mars Project. Every crater named for a dad before Father’s Day on June 19th comes with a commemorative Father’s Day 2016 naming certificate emailed to the buyer. Join our newsletter HERE so you get the free gift code!

Said Uwingu’s founder and CEO, planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern, “Never before has anything like this been done to honor dads on Father’s Day. Just join our newsletter list by June 16th and give dad something he will never forget, something truly novel, and out of this world. We look forward to smashing all records for the number of named craters on any Mars map through this Father’s Day offer, and we hope you’ll take part for the dad in your life!!”

Today through Mother’s Day on May 8th, Uwingu is offering decorative Mother’s Day certificates for anyone choosing to honor a mom with a named crater on our Mars map. Two certificate options are available: an electronic downloadable version and a beautifully printed and framed keepsake version. Uwingu’s Mars Map will be carried to Mars aboard both the first Mars One robotic lander and also on the Time Capsule to Mars Project. Orders for framed certificates must be made by May 2nd to ensure arrival by Mother’s Day.

Said Uwingu’s Ellen Butler, “A Mothers love is boundless, just like Space. I’m excited to name a crater on the Uwingu Mars map in honor of my biggest fan—my mother—at Mother’s Day. This will make a wonderful and really unique gift for her!“
Prices for naming craters depend on the size of the crater, and begin at just $5. Half of Uwingu’s revenues from all its products go to fund the Uwingu Fund for space research and education grants.

Dr. Alan Stern, Uwingu’s CEO added, “Naming a Mars crater for mom is an out-of-this-world way to honor moms across the Earth with a magical connection to the universe. Help your mom join our MOM club—the Mothers on Mars club! Or get her Uwingu’s Daily Space Explorer space image service that sends email with a gorgeous, curated space image every day, along with an informative caption that makes 365 days of great brain food!”

This grant, like others Uwingu has given, comes from funds raised from Uwingu activities like public naming of craters on Uwingu’s Mars map sales of Uwingu’s Daily Space Explorer image subscription service at www.uwingu.com.

Uwingu’s mission is to engage the public in new ways for space exploration and to raise grant funds through this engagement. Uwingu has previously made grants to a wide range of space organizations including Explore Mars, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), Astronomers Without Border (AWB), the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the Galileo Teachers Training Program (GTTP), the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), and the Mars One project. Uwingu has also made travel grants to numerous planetary and astrophysical graduate students to present their research at professional society meetings.

“The Space Foundation is grateful to Uwingu for its support of our Tesla’s Toolbox program through our Corporate Giving Club. Tesla’s Toolbox helps young tinkerers acquire the skills to become future engineers,” said Bryan DeBates, Space Foundation Senior Director of Education.

Planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern, the CEO of Uwingu added, “We’re incredibly proud to support the Space Foundation, and look forward to generating many more grants as our Mars Map Crater Naming Project moves toward its goal of naming of all 500,000 scientifically cataloged craters on Mars.”

Today space public engagement company Uwingu announced three space themed ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day:

• Name a crater on Mars for family, friends, or loved ones on our Mars map! Each crater named receives a special Valentine’s Day certificate.
• Name an exoplanet around another star for family, friends, or loved ones.
• Send a yearlong gift subscription to family, friends, or loved ones to space image of the day service, a Valentine’s that keeps on giving!

Valentine’s Day Certificate for Mars Crater Name Purchases

Said Uwingu’s Ellen Butler, “Make a special impact on someone for Valentine’s Day 2016 with one of these gifts at www.uwingu.com!”

Uwingu is a for-profit, public engagement space company based in Boulder, CO, led by senior planetary scientists and astronomers. Uwingu’s twin missions are to connect the public to space and space exploration in new ways, and to create a grant fund to support a wide range of space efforts by individual space researchers, educators, and organizations.

We just announced a new bulk sales opportunity for our new “Uwingu Daily Space Explorer”—an inspiring and beautiful space exploration daily image delivery subscription.

Bulk sales of Daily Space Explorer are deeply discounted. This offers clubs, companies, schools, and the ability to use it as a membership perk, to reward employees, or to thank advisory board members, or as an incentive/gift for good customers. Sales discounts on Daily Space Explorer start with bulk purchases of as little as 25 units, and extend upward past 50,000.

Each Daily Space Explorer subscription sends the subscriber a year of daily electronic, high-definition space and astronomy images, each with an accompanying detailed, informative caption. The images curated by space and astronomy experts at Uwingu. Each caption contains links to even more information for those who want to explore further. Every image has an associated discussion page at www.uwingu.com to share thoughts, ask questions, and discuss with other subscribers and Uwingu scientists.

“Our discounted bulk sales let clubs and corporations, teachers, and even advocacy groups inspire and incent their staff, their members, their students, or their customers with beautiful images of space missions, space personalities, space history, the planets, and the far away cosmos. It’s out of the box and out this world!” said planetary scientist and Uwingu founder Dr. Alan Stern.

Like all Uwingu projects, fully half of all proceeds from corporate Daily Space Explorer sales contribute to The Uwingu Fund, which funds space research and education grants to space researchers and organizations.

Want to talk about Bulk Sales for your group? Click here, and we’ll get in touch with you to discuss the options.