The highly anticipated Europa Clipper spacecraft is set to launch this October, marking a significant milestone in NASA’s exploration of Jupiter’s moon Europa. In addition to its groundbreaking mission objectives, the spacecraft will also carry a special tribute to Earth and humanity.
Continuing its tradition of sending inspirational messages into space, NASA has planned to include a triangular metal plate on the Europa Clipper to honor Earth’s connection to the mysterious moon. This unique artifact will not only feature waveforms of the word “water” in 103 languages but also include a symbol representing the American Sign Language sign for “water” on its outward-facing panel.
Moreover, the plate will be engraved with a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and a silicon microchip containing 2.6 million names from the public. The inward-facing panel of the plate will showcase the renowned Drake Equation and reference radio frequencies for interstellar communication. Additionally, a portrait of planetary science founder Ron Greeley will also be included on the plate.
The Europa Clipper mission aims to gather crucial data about Europa’s subsurface ocean, icy crust, atmosphere, and space environment in the hope of finding conditions that could potentially support life. The spacecraft’s vault plate is specifically designed to protect its electronics from Jupiter’s intense radiation, reflecting humanity’s deep connection to both water and the cosmos.
As the Europa Clipper assembly nears completion at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, excitement is building for its shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch. This mission represents the culmination of a decades-long journey and anticipation for groundbreaking discoveries on Europa, bringing us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of our solar system’s most enigmatic moons.
