NASA has reminded of the imminent end of the Message in a Bottle initiative. All space enthusiasts have one week left to send their name to Jupiter and its moons.
In 2024, NASA plans to launch one of its major missions of the current decade — Europe Clipper. Its main goal will be Europa, a moon of Jupiter with a giant ocean under its icy surface. In addition to numerous scientific payloads, the probe will also carry a small “Easter egg” — the poem “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa”. It was written specifically for the mission by Ada Limón. In 2022, the Library of Congress named her the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States.
To draw additional attention to the project, NASA invited everyone to sign the poem and thus send their name to Europe. It will be engraved on a special microchip along with the text of Ada Limón’s work and installed on the Europa Clipper’s hull.
Names will be accepted until December 31, 2023. So, everyone has one week left to send their name to Jupiter and its moons. To do this, you need to fill out a short form here.
Europa Clipper is currently in the assembly shop at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After completion of the assembly, the spacecraft will undergo a series of tests to ensure its readiness for space flight, after which it will be delivered to Cape Canaveral. The mission is scheduled to be launched in October 2024, using a Falcon Heavy rocket. The spacecraft is expected to reach Jupiter in the summer of 2030.
