If you like topics related to the search for extraterrestrial life and news about NASA, you’ll surely be delighted to know that the organization will send the orbiter Europa Clipper to Jupiter very soon, back in October 2024.
With the purpose of involving all citizens of the world, NASA has published a call for attention to all those who wish to send their name. Everyone who wants to see their name engraved on the ship will be able to wink at life on earth and send this sort of “message in a bottle” (as they call the promotional campaign) across 2.9 billion kilometers until it reaches its destination. All you have to do is make a request on the official NASA website by navigating to the project tab.
What is Europe Clipper expected to do?
The purpose of the Europa Clipper project will be to explore the moon Europa, where there is a marine zone that scientists will study to contemplate the possibility that other life forms may exist there. In this way, they will be able to determine whether there is any evidence of intelligent beings beneath the 24 km of ice that covers the surface.
In addition to trying to provide an answer to this question, the mission will also serve to understand the structure of the ocean and also its nature. They will try to understand the moon’s own geology, analyzing the astro-biological potential of other worlds, perhaps habitable for us.
Europa Clipper
will perform 50 flybys at altitudes of 25 kilometers, scanning every inch of Jupiter’s moon.
What is Europa Clipper like?
The ship Europa Clipper will have huge solar panels on both sides and radar antennas. What sets it apart from other NASA projects is that they have never previously developed a spacecraft of such a large size. To give you an idea,
Europa Clipper
will measure more than 30 meters long with the solar panels deployed.
The ship will also have special protection. It will have a thick-walled vault made of aluminum and titanium, which will protect the payload and its electronic components. The payload will consist of cameras and spectrometers that will allow receiving high-resolution images, as well as maps of both the Earth’s structure and the atmosphere of the moon Europa. Its thermal instrument will make it possible to locate temperature changes in the ice, as well as to confirm the existence of recent water eruptions.
The names of the participants will be accompanied by a poem by Ada Limón.
The poet Ada Limón is of Mexican and American origin. His work speaks of the connection between the Earth’s oceans and the moon Europa. While the Earth seeks to know more, Europe is shown as an adventure and a world still unknown.
NASA ‘s“Message in a Bottle” campaign is developed by NASA and the U.S. Poet Laureate program , as well as the Library of Congress. Ada’s poem is entitled (when translated into English)“Elogio al misterio: un poema para la astronave Europa“(In praise of mystery: a poem for the spacecraft Europa). It is an ode to the dream of discovery and also to the similarity (even within the ignorance) for having a common element: the valuable water.
