NASA has invited the public to participate in its latest mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa for signs of life. As part of the “Message in a Bottle” campaign, people can add their names to a poem that will travel billions of miles aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft, set to launch in October 2024.
The poem, titled “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” was written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and is dedicated to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. The spacecraft will investigate whether the ocean beneath Europa’s icy crust could support life.
To participate, individuals must submit their names before December 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The names will be stenciled onto a microchip along with the poem and sent on the spacecraft. Participants can also create a customizable souvenir of their name in a message bottle against a rendering of Europa and Jupiter.
Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said, “‘Message in a Bottle’ is the perfect convergence of science, art, and technology, and we are excited to share with the world the opportunity to be a part of Europa Clipper’s journey.”
The “Message in a Bottle” campaign is similar to other NASA projects that have allowed millions of people to send their names on spacecraft to Mars and beyond. The program aims to spark the imagination of people worldwide and follows NASA’s tradition of shipping inspirational messages on spacecraft.
Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Jupiter’s system, where it will arrive in 2030. As it orbits Jupiter and flies by Europa about 50 times, it will log another half-billion miles (800,000 kilometers) while gathering data on the subsurface ocean, ice crust, and atmosphere.
The mission’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Europa that could support life. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
By signing up for this unique opportunity, individuals can become part of history and join NASA’s mission to find alien life. So what are you waiting for? Head over to https://go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle and add your name to the poem today! Don’t forget to share your enthusiasm on social media using the hashtag #SendYourName.
Image Credits: NASA
The “Message in a Bottle” campaign offers everyone the opportunity to have their name stenciled onto a microchip bearing U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa.” The chip will ride aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter and its moon Europa.
