The Voyager spacecraft carried a golden record with sounds of Earth, and now the Europa Clipper mission will carry a plaque with messages and illustrations into space. Scheduled to launch in October, this mission aims to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is believed to have an icy crust and a subsurface ocean. The plaque attached to the spacecraft will carry more than 2.6 million names and the word ‘water’ converted into waveform from 103 languages.

The triangular-shaped tantalum metal plaque, measuring about 18x28cm, features an engraving of a handwritten poem by Ada Limon. It also includes a silicon microchip with the engraved names in the center of an illustration of a bottle within the Jovian system. The message aims to highlight the connection between Earth and Europa.

NASA’s director of Planetary Science Division, Lori Glaze, stated that the plaque represents the best humanity has to offer across various fields like science, technology, education, art, and math. The message focuses on the significance of water in all forms of life, emphasizing Earth’s link to the mysterious ocean world of Europa.

However, a controversial inclusion on the plaque is the famous Drake Equation, which attempts to estimate the number of advanced civilizations in our Galaxy. Despite divided opinions among scientists, this equation has been etched onto the plaque facing inward.

The Europa Clipper probe is set to launch later this year and will make a 2.6 billion km journey to Europa, arriving in 2030. The mission will conduct 49 flybys of Europa to assess its potential to support life. Equipped with various instruments, the spacecraft will explore the subsurface ocean, crust, atmosphere, and space environment around the moon. To shield the instruments from Jupiter’s radiation, they are housed in a metal container with one opening sealed by the plaque.

Illustrations on the plaque not only showcase human characteristics but also depict how we communicate, including references to radio frequencies for interstellar communication. This suggests readiness to engage with any potential alien civilization that intercepts the spacecraft.

In a tribute to one of the founders of planetary science, a portrait of Ron Greeley is included on the plaque. Greeley’s contributions to the mission’s development are highlighted as a fitting recognition of his legacy.

Source: NASA Unveils Design for Message Heading to Jupiter’s Moon Europa