NASA Europa Clipper Mission Update

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon and planetary scientist Lynnae Quick Henderson have collaborated to create a special poem that will be transmitted to Europa. The poem, which is inspired by the moon’s icy surface and the possibility of life beneath it, will be included in the Europa Clipper’s data stream.

This is not the only way that the public is involved in the mission. Over 2.6 million names from around the world have been engraved onto a vault plate that will be carried aboard the spacecraft. This serves as a symbolic reminder of humanity’s curiosity and our collective hope for discovery.

The Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2030. It will spend several years studying Europa, searching for signs of habitability and exploring the moon’s subsurface ocean. The mission’s findings could have profound implications for our understanding of the solar system and the potential for life beyond Earth.