A sci-fi fan and multimedia editor at a weekly newspaper is set to have his name written in the stars.

David Godsall, of the Loughborough Echo, and his nine-year-old son Jacob, feature among a list of names set to be blasted into outer space aboard the Orion spacecraft.

David, pictured left, won the honour after stumbling across the initiative while browsing the NASA website.

The craft is on a test flight which is hoped will pave the way one day for humans to land on Mars, however take-off has been delayed due to technical issues.

Said David: “I was browsing the NASA website a couple of months ago when I spotted details about the Orion spacecraft, and that people could have their name included on a list that was going to be sent up to space on the December test flight.

“I’m a big space and sci-fi fan, so I quickly signed up myself, and my nine-year-old son Jacob, to the initiative, and I was delighted to get a boarding pass for the flight.

“Although it didn’t take off on Thursday due to technical issues, I’m hoping it will soon lift off into space – it will be an amazing feeling to think of my name flying into space, circling the globe twice before splashing back down to Earth.

“That’s one for the Godsall history books.”