New York: NASA has unveiled the design for a message heading to Jupiter’s moon Europa aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft, set to launch in October. This richly layered dispatch includes over 2.6 million names submitted by the public, engraved on a silicon microchip, alongside U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s handwritten poem “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa”. The spacecraft will carry a triangular metal plate, serving as a symbolic connection between Earth and Europa.
Crafted from tantalum and measuring 7 by 11 inches, the plate features graphic elements on both sides. The outward-facing panel showcases art highlighting Earth’s relationship with Europa, including waveforms representing the word “water” spoken in 103 languages and the American Sign Language sign for “water”. This homage to NASA’s “Message in a Bottle” campaign aims to ignite curiosity and promote unity.
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In a nod to the Voyager spacecraft’s Golden Record, the inward-facing side of the plate carries the Drake Equation, symbolizing humanity’s quest for understanding life beyond Earth. It also features artwork referencing plausible radio frequencies for interstellar communication, known as the “water hole”, and pays tribute to planetary science pioneer Ron Greeley.
Europa Clipper, scheduled to orbit Jupiter in 2030 after a 1.6-billion-mile journey, will conduct close flybys of Europa to gather data on its subsurface ocean and icy crust. The spacecraft’s mission is to assess Europa’s potential habitability, guided by the Drake Equation and humanity’s curiosity about the cosmos.
Assembling Europa Clipper at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California marks the culmination of decades of effort. Once completed, the spacecraft will undergo final preparations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for its upcoming launch.
The mission’s exploration of Europa aims to unravel the mysteries of this enigmatic moon and deepen our understanding of potential life beyond Earth.
