A spacecraft called Deep Space 1, using mechanical eyes, will guide itself past asteroid 9969 Braille, as it has been named, closer than any asteroid flyby prior. As it does, it will employ technologies that might be used in space missions of the next millenium: an ion propulsion system, and an autonomous navigation system.

These technologies, and ten others the space craft has already tested, could push space exploration deeper, and improve our ability to understand the nature of the Universe and the objects within.

The asteroid was named after Braille, the blind inventor of the raised-dot system of communicating used widely among the vision impaired.

The name was suggested by Kerry Babcock, a software engineer at the Kennedy Space Center, who wrote this: "Louis Braille invented the Braille language so those who could not see could obtain knowledge and explore through the 'written' word. Likewise, asteroid Braille provides knowledge about our universe and its origin to the people of Earth, who through Deep Space 1, are also able to explore and discover what previously they could not 'see.'"

Babcock's daughter is also named Braille.

The Planetary Society had run a worldwide contest to name the asteroid, previously known as 1992 KD, which orbits the sun near Mars and Earth.