Nasa is planning to send a cryptic human message to one of Jupiter's icy moons, Europa, as it believes the moon is an ideal place for "alien life". Last year it announced its Message in a Bottle campaign which will be sent to Jupiter via the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
The mission is expected to take off sometime in October this year but won't reach the moon until 2031. As part of the campaign, the public was asked to sign their names - and now more than 2.6 million people's names have been etched into a microchip which will be sent up into space. Only around the size of a dime, the chip was created at the Microdevices Laboratory at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Los Angeles County.
Nasa is also planning to send a metal commemorative plate that's 7 by 11 inches long and has graphic elements on both sides. It will include an engraving of the poem In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa, which was written by US poet Laureate Ada Limón. Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at Nasa Headquarters in Washington, said: "The content and design of Europa Clipper’s vault plate are swimming with meaning."
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The art on this side of the plate, which will seal an opening of the vault on NASA’s Europa Clipper (NASA/JPL-Caltech / SWNS)"The plate combines the best humanity has to offer across the universe – science, technology, education, art, and maths. The message of connection through water, essential for all forms of life as we know it, perfectly illustrates Earth’s tie to this mysterious ocean world we are setting out to explore."
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Europa Clipper is due to investigate Europa, which is the Galilean moon that circles Jupiter once every 83 hours. Specifically the mission is aiming to explore the moon's terrain. It will look at everything from the ocean's salinity levels to the chemical composition of its ice crust. It will also be looking for organic compounds like sulphates and carbonates by doing repeated flybys of the icy moon.
The reverse side of Europa Clipper’s vault plate, featuring a handwritten poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limó (NASA/JPL-Caltech / SWNS)
Europa Clipper is due to investigate Europa, which is the Galilean moon that circles Jupiter once every 83 hours (NASA/JPL-Caltech / SWNS)The spacecraft is around the size of an SUV and is expected to reach Europa on March 7, 2031. The mission will cost Nasa around $4.25 billion. Writing on its mission website, Nasa said: "Clipper will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could have conditions suitable for life." It believes Europa is an ideal place for hosting alien life as it has "ingredients essential for life: water, chemistry, and energy".
Researchers believe the salty ocean beneath Europa's surface contains more water than "the Earth's oceans combined". Robert Pappalardo, a project scientist at Nasa's JBL in Southern California said: "It’s been a decades-long journey, and we can’t wait to see what Europa Clipper shows us at this water world."
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