NASA decided a few years ago to open the U.S. space program to the public, by submitting their names to be blasted into space. Individuals' names were encoded on two copies of two microchips and placed aboard the Stardust spacecraft, which lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Feb. 7, 1999.

The Stardust spacecraft successfully encountered Comet Wild-2 in 2004, and returned samples back to Earth, landing with a thump in the Utah desert on Jan. 15, 2006. Scientists are now examining those bits of comet tail to learn the origins of the universe.

One of the microchips with the names was inside the sample capsule that returned to Earth, while the other will remain in space forever.

The space agency offers the latest about the mission at its site. You can see how far the spacecraft traveled, pictures of the launch, landing and sample analysis, and learn more about comets.

Here are the family members whose names will drift through space for eternity:

• Alice S. Parmelee
• Beverly M. Parmely
• Bruce Carlton Parmelee (PFC, Marines)
• Darlene Parmalee
• David Parmelee
• E. Parmelee
• Harold L. Parmelee

• James Earl Parmelee (2nd Lt., Marines)
• Jeffrey Mathew Parmelee (SP4, Army)
• Jerry P. Parmeley
• Katelynn P. Parmeley
• Kim Parmalee
• Michael J. Parmeley

• Nerissa L. Parmelee
• Patty Parmalee
• Paula N. Parmeley
• Phil Parmalee
• Shawn Parmley
• Sherry N. Parmeley
• Shirley Parmalee
• Tricia D. Parmeley

DENVER -­ NASA has ordered its comet-hunting Stardust probe to burn its remaining fuel, setting off a series of events that will shut down the spacecraft after a 12-year career. Engineers gave the order from Lockheed Martin's Denver complex, where Stardust was built.

Stardust will perform one last experiment before it shuts down and ends its 12-year career. Engineers planned to command the spacecraft to burn its remaining fuel. How long that takes will tell them how accurate their fuel calculations were, which will help with the design of future probes. Spacecraft don't carry fuel gauges because they don't work in zero gravity.

Stardust was launched in 1999. It completed its primary mission in 2004 by flying through a cloud of dust and gas enveloping the Wild 2 comet and capturing samples. Those were sent to Earth for study via a parachute-equipped canister. NASA then recycled Stardust, sending it past another comet last month to photograph a crater.

"It's a unique way for an interplanetary spacecraft to go out. Essentially, Stardust will be providing us useful information to the very end," project manager Tim Larson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a
statement.

Since launching in 1999, Stardust has traveled 3.5 billion miles. It completed its primary mission by flying through a cloud of dust and gas enveloping the Wild 2 comet and capturing tiny samples. Those were sent back to Earth for study in 2006, via a parachute-equipped canister. NASA then recycled Stardust, sending it past the Tempel 1 comet last month to photograph a crater left by a projectile launched by another space probe, Deep Impact.

Larson said 20 minutes after its fuel runs out, Stardust will turn off its radio transmitters so there's no chance they could somehow power back up and transmit a signal that could interfere with messages from other spacecraft. Without fuel, Stardust's thrusters won't be able to keep its solar panels pointed at the sun. That will cause its batteries to be drained within
hours, Larson said. When its tank is empty and its batteries are dead, Stardust will be left to orbit the sun.

Scientists project that in the next 100 years, Stardust won't get any closer than 1.7 million miles of Earth's orbit or 13 million miles of Mars' orbit.