Last Chance to Join NASA's Europa Clipper Mission

NASA is offering the public a chance to add their names to a microchip that will be placed aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft as it explores Jupiter's moon, Europa. The deadline to join the "Message in a Bottle" campaign is December 31, 2023. So far, about 700,000 names have been submitted, and they will be stenciled onto a dime-size silicon microchip. The chip, along with an engraved metal plate featuring a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, will be attached to the spacecraft. The mission aims to gather data on Europa's subsurface ocean, icy crust, and atmosphere to determine its potential for supporting life. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October 2024.