NASA’s “Message in a Bottle” campaign invites the public to participate in a unique opportunity. People can have their names added to a microchip that will accompany a poem written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. This microchip will be carried by NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft on its mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The campaign aims to generate global interest in space exploration and encourages engagement through personalized souvenirs and social media interaction.
The public is encouraged to add their names to an original poem dedicated to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission before the spacecraft embarks on its journey to Europa in October 2024. The poem and the names will symbolize a message in a bottle, traversing billions of miles as the mission investigates the potential for life in the ocean believed to exist beneath Europa’s icy surface.
As part of the “Message in a Bottle” campaign, names submitted before December 31, 2023, will be etched onto a microchip along with the poem titled “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa” by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
To participate, read the poem, and watch a video of Limón reciting it, please visit the following link: https://go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle. The website also allows participants to create and download a customizable souvenir, featuring their names on a message in a bottle against a backdrop of Europa and Jupiter, as a memento of this extraordinary experience. Participants are encouraged to share their excitement on social media using the hashtag #SendYourName.
Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, expressed enthusiasm for the convergence of science, art, and technology in the “Message in a Bottle” campaign. Fox highlights the idea that our names will travel across the solar system aboard the radiation-tolerant Europa Clipper spacecraft, which aims to unlock the secrets of Jupiter’s frozen moon.
The “Message in a Bottle” campaign follows in the footsteps of previous NASA initiatives that allowed millions of people to send their names aboard Artemis I and various Mars spacecraft. This campaign draws inspiration from NASA’s longstanding tradition of including inspirational messages on spacecraft exploring the solar system and beyond. Similar to the Voyager spacecraft’s Golden Record, which carried a time capsule of sounds and images representing Earth’s diversity, this program seeks to ignite the imagination of people worldwide.
Laurie Leshin, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, which leads the development of Europa Clipper, emphasizes that inspiration is at the core of the mission. Leshin states that inspiration drives the people behind the flagship mission and everyone involved in building the largest spacecraft NASA has sent to explore the solar system. She highlights how inspiration accompanies every name that embarks on the journey to Europa.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft is currently being assembled at JPL, with the process streamed online. Scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) to reach the Jupiter system, where it will arrive in 2030. Throughout its mission, as it orbits Jupiter and conducts approximately 50 flybys of Europa, the spacecraft will cover an additional half-billion miles (800,000 kilometers). Its suite of scientific instruments will gather data on Europa’s subsurface ocean, ice crust, and atmosphere.
In January, Ada Limón visited JPL to see the spacecraft and learn more about the mission. Limón, appointed as the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in 2022 and reappointed for a second term in April 2023, is an accomplished poet of Mexican ancestry. She has authored several poetry collections, including “The Hurting Kind” and “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry.
The Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center is the official home of the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, a position established in 1937. As the largest library globally, the Library of Congress provides access to the creative works of the United States and extensive materials from around the world, both physically and online. It serves as the primary research arm of the U.S. Congress and houses the U.S. Copyright Office.
The Europa Clipper mission’s primary scientific objective is to determine if there are locations beneath Europa’s surface that can support life. The mission has three main goals: understanding the nature of Europa’s ice shell and underlying ocean, studying the moon’s composition, and investigating its geology. These investigations into Europa’s intricate details will enhance scientists’ understanding of the potential for extraterrestrial life beyond Earth.
The management of the Europa Clipper mission is led by Caltech, based in Pasadena, California. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, partners with Caltech for this project on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The spacecraft’s main body was jointly designed by APL, JPL, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Planetary Missions Program Office, part of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, oversees program management for the Europa Clipper mission.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NASA Message in a Bottle campaign
What is NASA’s “Message in a Bottle” campaign?
NASA’s “Message in a Bottle” campaign is an initiative that allows the public to participate by adding their names to a microchip along with a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. This microchip will be carried by NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft on its mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa.
How can I participate in the campaign?
To participate in the “Message in a Bottle” campaign, you can visit the designated website provided by NASA. There, you can add your name to the microchip, read the poem by Ada Limón, and watch a video of her reciting the poem. Additionally, you can create a personalized souvenir featuring your name on a message in a bottle against a backdrop of Europa and Jupiter.
When is the deadline to submit my name for the campaign?
The deadline to submit your name for the “Message in a Bottle” campaign is December 31, 2023, before 11:59 p.m. EST. Make sure to submit your name before this date to have it included on the microchip.
What happens to the microchip with the names and poem?
The microchip, containing the names submitted by the public and the poem “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa” by Ada Limón, will be placed on board NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. The spacecraft will embark on its journey to Jupiter’s moon Europa in October 2024, carrying the microchip as a symbolic message in a bottle.
What is the purpose of the “Message in a Bottle” campaign?
The “Message in a Bottle” campaign aims to generate global interest in space exploration and engage the public in NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. By allowing people to add their names to the microchip and participate in personalized souvenirs, the campaign seeks to spark enthusiasm for space exploration and promote the mission’s goals of investigating the potential for life on Europa.
Can I share my participation in the campaign on social media?
Yes! Participants in the “Message in a Bottle” campaign are encouraged to share their excitement on social media platforms. You can use the hashtag #SendYourName to join the conversation and showcase your involvement in this unique opportunity to send your name to Jupiter’s moon Europa.
More about NASA Message in a Bottle campaign
- NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission
- U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón
- Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
- Caltech – California Institute of Technology
- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
- NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
- NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
