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NASA wants to send you to the sun, but not in the way you think
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An image of the sun. NASA has invited people across the world to submit their names to be included in a microchip that will be sent to the sun as a part of the historic Parker Solar Probe mission. - photo by Herb Scribner
If you reading this, its not too late to send your name to the sun.

As CNN reported, NASA has invited people across the world to submit their names to be included in a microchip that will be sent to the sun as a part of the historic Parker Solar Probe mission, which will travel into the suns atmosphere so that scientists can have their first-ever close-up view of a star.

This probe will journey to a region humanity has never explored before, Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a press release. This mission will answer questions scientists have sought to uncover for more than six decades.

The 10-foot probe will likely melt before it reaches the sun. But this may be your only chance to be represented on a spacecraft, even if it's just your name.

Visit NASAs website here to submit your name to the microchip.

William Shatner, who starred as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, already added his name to the microchip, according to Space.com, and encouraged others to do the same.

"The first-ever spacecraft to the sun, NASA's Parker Solar Probe, will launch this year on a course to orbit through the heat of our star's corona, where temperatures are greater than 1 million degrees," Shatner said in NASAs promotional video on the probe, according to NBC News. "The spacecraft will also carry my name to the sun, and your name, and the names of everyone who wants to join this voyage of extreme exploration."

Scientists hope to uncover more information about the sun through the satellite.

Understanding the Sun has always been a top priority for space scientists. Studying how the Sun affects space and the space environment of planets is the field known as heliophysics. The field is not only vital to understanding Earths most important and life-sustaining star, it supports exploration in the solar system and beyond, according to the NASA press release.

NASA wont just send a device into the sun so it can melt. According to a press release, the probe will be sheltered by a nearly one-inch thick carbon-composite shield, which can withstand heat close to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

The probe and shield can measure magnetic fields, energy particles and observe solar winds.

Parker Solar Probe is, quite literally, the fastest, hottest and, to me, coolest mission under the Sun, project scientist Nicola Fox, of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, said in a press release. This incredible spacecraft is going to reveal so much about our star and how it works that weve not been able to understand.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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