As the clock ticks down, there are only six weeks left for everyone to seize a unique opportunity - the chance to send their names on a thrilling journey beyond Mars, all the way to Jupiter's captivating moon, Europa, aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft.
This rare opportunity, part of the mission's "Message in a Bottle" campaign, invites members of the public to contribute their names to a microchip that will accompany the spacecraft on its exploration of Europa's mysteries.
Message in a Bottle to Europa
The Europa Clipper mission, slated to cover a staggering 1.8 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) on its journey to Jupiter's moon, aims to unravel the secrets concealed beneath Europa's frozen exterior.
An ocean lurks beneath the icy shell, and the spacecraft's payload of cutting-edge science instruments will collect valuable data on Europa's subsurface ocean, icy crust, and atmosphere. This mission holds the promise of answering the profound question of whether Europa could harbor life.
With approximately 700,000 names already submitted, the "Message in a Bottle" campaign provides a symbolic connection between Earth and the distant reaches of our solar system.
Technicians at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California will use an electron beam to inscribe the names onto a dime-size silicon microchip. The precision of this process is remarkable, with each line of text being smaller than 1/1000th the width of a human hair (75 nanometers).
Accompanying the names on this cosmic journey is an original poem, "In Praise of Mystery," penned by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to commemorate the mission. The poem, along with the microchip, will be affixed to a metal plate on the exterior of the spacecraft.
This unique combination of names and poetic expression will serve as a symbolic "message in a bottle" during the spacecraft's anticipated 50 close flybys of Europa.
Europa Clipper's Mission
The Europa Clipper mission's scientific payload onboard will play a crucial role in expanding our understanding of this intriguing moon.
The mission's primary objectives include determining the thickness of Europa's icy shell, exploring its surface interactions with the hidden ocean below, investigating its composition, and characterizing its geology. These insights will significantly contribute to the ongoing quest to identify habitable environments beyond Earth.
Following the completion of Europa Clipper's assembly at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the spacecraft is scheduled to be transported to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final preparations leading up to its planned launch in October 2024.
The "Message in a Bottle" initiative aligns with NASA's longstanding tradition of including inspirational messages on spacecraft, reminiscent of the iconic Voyager spacecraft's time capsule that captured sounds and images representing Earth's diverse life forms in 1977.
The hope is to inspire imaginations globally, fostering a sense of connection with the vast mysteries of our solar system and beyond.
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