NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is providing a unique opportunity for the public to have their names etched onto a microchip that will be sent on a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The “Message in a Bottle” campaign, which invites individuals to be a part of this historic journey, has set a deadline of December 31, 2023, for submissions.
Overwhelming public response has been witnessed, with approximately 700,000 names already submitted for inclusion on the microchip. These names will be stenciled by technicians at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory using an electron beam. The stenciling will be done on a dime-sized silicon microchip, with each line of text smaller than 1/1000th the width of a human hair.
In addition to the names, the microchip will bear a metal plate engraved with a poem titled “In Praise of Mystery” composed by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Like a message in a bottle, the spacecraft will carry both the poem and the names during its approximately 50 close flybys of Europa.
The primary objective of the mission is to gather crucial data on Europa’s subsurface ocean, icy crust, and atmosphere to assess the moon’s potential to support life. This information will shape our understanding of habitable worlds beyond Earth.
Upon completion, the Europa Clipper will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a scheduled launch in October 2024.
The “Message in a Bottle” campaign adds to NASA’s rich tradition of including inspirational messages on its spacecraft. Participants in the campaign will also have the chance to create a personalized keepsake: a rendering of their name on a message in a bottle against a backdrop of Europa and Jupiter. Enthusiasts are encouraged to share their excitement on social media using the hashtag #SendYourName.
With its main focus on determining the potential habitability of Europa, the mission will extensively study the thickness of the moon’s icy shell, its interactions with the underlying ocean, its composition, and its geology. These investigations will significantly contribute to our understanding of astrobiological potential and the existence of habitable worlds in the universe.
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