NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will carry a particular message when it launches in October 2024 and heads towards Jupiter’s moon Europa. The moon exhibits robust proof of an ocean below its icy crust, with greater than twice the quantity of water of all of Earth’s oceans mixed. A triangular metallic plate, seen right here, will honor that connection to Earth.
The plate is made from tantalum metallic and is about 7 by 11 inches (18 by 28 centimeters). It is engraved on each side and seals a gap within the electronics vault, which homes the spacecraft’s delicate electronics. The artwork on this aspect of the plate options waveforms which can be visible representations of the sound waves shaped by the phrase “water” in 103 languages. The waveforms radiate out from a logo representing the American Sign Language signal for “water.”
