In 2024, a spacecraft named Europa Clipper is set to embark on a journey to an icy, gray moon of Jupiter adorned with rust-colored gashes. It will traverse the gravitational tides of Jupiter’s satellite, partially orbiting the orb and partially exposed to the vast expanse of space. Armed with sophisticated instruments, the Europa Clipper’s mission is to search for evidence of extraterrestrial habitats. Remarkably, the spacecraft will also carry the names of individuals like you and me through NASA’s free “Message in a Bottle program.”
Should you wish to join this cosmic voyage and make your mark, all you have to do is sign up for the program before the registration closes on Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST (0459 GMT on Jan. 1). To date, nearly 900,000 names have been submitted. If, like many others, you question the significance of this endeavor, you are not alone.
Pondering upon the implications of this endeavor led me down a philosophical rabbit hole. I delved into the abstract notion of existence, the intangibility of names, and the absence of an audience to receive our poignant celestial messages. These contemplations compelled me to participate in sending my name to Europa.
The idea is not based on creating physical or noticeable theoretical consequences; rather, I believe this is an opportunity to transcend the confines of our earthly existence. Without an intended recipient on Europa, NASA’s initiative offers the next best thing – sharing our names beyond the boundaries of our home planet.
After navigating through my thoughts, and even involving my family in the mark of our names in space, I uncovered the intricacies of the Message in a Bottle program. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have developed a technology to etch millions of names onto silicon microchips using electron beams, diminishing each name to the scale of 75 nanometers for inclusion on the spacecraft.
Ultimately, the microchips, carrying names beyond Earth’s vicinity, will be incorporated within Europa Clipper’s payload. As the spacecraft embarks on its mission, I am reminded of a poignant passage from the novel “Red Mars” – these microchips symbolize the collective existence of nearly a million humans, traveling to a place where Earth appears as nothing more than a star.
The grandeur of this initiative, perhaps, lies in its transformative potential to alter perspectives. And for that, I believe, it is enough.
