Join NASA’s Europa Expedition: Send Your Name to Space

NASA’s unique “Message in a Bottle” initiative invites individuals worldwide to have their names etched onto a microchip. This chip, adorned with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s poem “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” will be part of the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. With just six weeks left, the opportunity to inscribe your name on a microchip destined for space exploration is rapidly closing.

This rare chance allows people to dispatch their names beyond Mars, traveling to Jupiter’s moon Europa aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The spacecraft is set to cover a staggering 1.8 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) to reach Europa, where a vast ocean lies beneath its icy surface. Remember, the deadline for this unique “Message in a Bottle” mission is fast approaching, ending at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 31, 2023.

Explore how NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is preparing to send your name to Europa as part of this campaign. Names will be intricately stenciled on specialized microchips on the Europa Clipper, embarking on a 1.8 billion-mile journey to the distant moon.

Engaging in the Mission

Already, around 700,000 names have been submitted. Technicians at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will meticulously inscribe these names onto a small silicon microchip using an electron beam, with each line of text measuring less than 1/1000th the width of a human hair (75 nanometers).

This chip will be mounted on a metal plate featuring Ada Limón’s poem “In Praise of Mystery,” a tribute to the mission. These elements will be affixed to the spacecraft’s exterior, symbolizing a cosmic message in a bottle during the 50 close flybys of Europa.

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón crafted a poem specifically for the Europa Clipper mission. Titled “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” the poem creates a bridge between Earth and Europa, reflecting on the mysteries of habitable worlds. The poem, narrated by Limón, will be engraved on a plaque aboard the spacecraft.

Europa Clipper’s Mission and Impact

The Europa Clipper will undertake numerous orbits, logging half a billion miles (800 million kilometers) and gathering crucial data on Europa’s subsurface ocean, icy crust, and atmosphere to assess its potential to sustain life.

After the Europa Clipper is assembled at JPL, it will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in preparation for its October 2024 launch. The mission will orbit Jupiter on an elliptical trajectory, repeatedly coming close to Europa to collect data.

The “Message in a Bottle” campaign continues NASA’s tradition of carrying inspirational messages into space, aiming to kindle global imagination much like the Voyager spacecraft did in 1977 with its Earthly time capsule.

How to Get Involved

To participate, visit NASA’s Message in a Bottle to sign up, read the poem, and watch Limón’s animated recitation. The website also offers a personalized keepsake – an image of your name on a message in a bottle, set against a backdrop of Europa and Jupiter. Participants are encouraged to share their experience on social media with the hashtag #SendYourName.

Further Details About the Mission

The primary scientific objective of the Europa Clipper is to explore the possibility of life-sustaining environments beneath Europa’s icy surface. The mission focuses on determining the thickness of the ice shell, examining its oceanic interaction, investigating the moon’s composition, and studying its geology. This in-depth exploration will provide valuable insights into the astrobiological potential of habitable worlds beyond Earth.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NASA Europa Clipper

More about NASA Europa Clipper

• NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission
• Join NASA’s “Message in a Bottle” Campaign
• Ada Limón’s Poem for Europa
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Europa Clipper’s Scientific Goals