NASA's Europa Clipper mission: Is there extraterrestrial life on Jupiter's moon?

NASA's Europa Clipper mission: The mission which is slated to launch in October, will investigate whether there are any potentially habitable areas beneath the ice moon of Jupiter.

The NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October, and it will carry a triangular metal plate that has been specially inscribed with a message for any potential life that may exist on Jupiter's moon, Europa. The artwork is on the plate's outside, which will shut a vault entrance on NASA's Europa Clipper.

We have questions about Europa: How thick is its ice shell? How deep is its ocean? Is it somewhere life might thrive? To find out, we've assembled a whole suite of science instruments, and now they're loaded aboard our spacecraft ahead of our Oct. launch! https://t.co/KShoLv8ac7 pic.twitter.com/i9BIVhycs7

— NASA Europa Clipper (@EuropaClipper) January 30, 2024

Can there be life on Jupiter?

NASA reported that there is compelling evidence of an ocean beneath Jupiter's moon's frozen surface that holds more than twice as much water as all of Earth's oceans put together. The US space agency stated that the probe's goal is to evaluate the likelihood of extraterrestrial life on Europa.

NASA's Europa Clipper mission

NASA's Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to launch in October, and its purpose is to explore if there are any possibly livable zones underneath Jupiter's frozen moon.

With a mission to carry a triangular metal plate with a specific message for any potential life that may exist on Jupiter's moon Europa, the NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft is set to launch in October. A vault entrance on NASA's Europa Clipper will be closed by the artwork on the outside of the plate.

All about plate's design

NASA disclosed in a blog post on Friday that the Europa Clipper mission includes an artifact known as the Europa Vault Plate, which has unique messaging and symbolic elements. The poem "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," penned by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, has been engraved on the plate. 

Live from #SXSW, U.S. Poet Laureate @AdaLimon and our Planetary Science Division Director Dr. Lori Glaze talk about the art and science of exploration, including the reveal of a piece of @EuropaClipper that will carry Limón’s poem to space. https://t.co/Brrfgfwg5a

— NASA (@NASA) March 8, 2024

The tantalum plate's outward-facing side (shown below) is decorated with artwork that symbolizes Earth's link to Europa. Among the images are waveforms that depict the word "water" in 103 different languages. Its central symbol is an American Sign Language representation of the word "water." 

The plate has the Drake Equation, a mathematical calculation developed by astronomer Frank Drake. The equation is included to estimate the likelihood of discovering sophisticated civilizations, on its inward-facing side.

Additionally, a portrait of Ron Greeley, a trailblazing planetary scientist and early supporter of the Europa project, one of the field's pioneers, is featured on the plate.

Radio frequencies used for interstellar communication are also included on the plate. These frequencies correspond to the radio waves that the constituents of water send into space, which astronomers refer to as the "water hole."

Over 26 lakh public names are stored on a silicon microchip on the plate. The microchip will serve as the focal point of a bottle illustration amidst the Jovian system, alluding to NASA's "Message in a Bottle" initiative.

Future plans

Europa Clipper is scheduled to enter orbit above Jupiter in 2030 and make 49 close flybys of Europa during its 260 crore-kilometer trip. These devices are protected from Jupiter's extreme radiation by being encased in a sturdy metal vault. The commemorative plaque will be attached to close a vault opening.

Reason of mission

NASA shared that Europa Clipper will investigate Jupiter's moon Europa in order to determine whether or not life is possible there. According to the US space agency, the mission's main goals are to characterize Europa's geology, explore its composition, and ascertain the thickness of the icy shell and its interactions with the subterranean ocean.

Researchers hope that a thorough investigation of Europa more knowledge will be shed on the astrobiological prospects for habitable worlds other than Earth.