Skip Navigation
menu close modal

All Resources

Europa Clipper Vault Plate Installed

The triangular-shaped, silver-colored vault plate can be seen attached to the Europa Clipper spacecraft. Two metal bars cross in front of the plate. Several screws can be seen holding the plate to the spacecraft. Orange colored wires run alongside the other equipment on the spacecraft.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Published: May 7, 2024
Historical Date: May 3, 2024

The vault plate is installed on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft on May 3, 2024. The plate is made of tantalum metal that's about 1 millimeter thick, about 7 inches tall, and 11 inches wide (18 by 28 centimeters). It's part of the structure that will protect Europa Clipper’s electronics from Jupiter’s harmful radiation.  The outward-facing side of the vault plate is engraved with waveforms for the word “water” in 104 languages. The waveforms extend from a circular symbol in the middle of the design, which represents the non-spoken word for “water” in American Sign Language. The Europa Clipper orbiter is being assembled in the clean room of High Bay 1 at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

ENLARGE

Related

An engineer inspects Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera in a clean room. 
More
An engineer in full white coveralls and a mask stands pointing at Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera, while inspecting the instrument in a clean room. The wide-angle camera rests on a silver metallic table in a clean room.
Europa Imaging System Wide-Angle Camera Delivered to JPL
The spacecraft’s developmental test model installed in a clean room.
More
In the center of the photo, an engineer stands to the left of Europa Clipper’s developmental test model, which is visible as a large, aluminum cylinder with an aluminum box and other aluminum structures protruding from the box. The aluminum box replicates the spacecraft’s avionics vault, while the cylinder replicates the spacecraft’s propulsion module. The test model is towering more than twice as high as the engineer, who is wearing full white body scrubs. To the left and further back in the clean room, the spacecraft’s flight model is visible.
Europa Clipper's Developmental Test Model
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Staff Engineer Yvette Tyler performs integration and testing on the electronics box for Europa Clipper’s mass spectrometer.
More
Image showing Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Staff Engineer Yvette Tyler performs integration and testing on the electronics box for Europa Clipper’s mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer will analyze gases in Europa’s faint atmosphere and possible plumes. It will study the chemistry of the moon’s suspected subsurface ocean, how ocean and surface exchange material, and how radiation alters compounds on the moon’s surface.
Mass Spectrometer Electronics Box
The eleventh Europa Clipper science team meeting.
More
A woman stands on stage on the left addressing a group of team scientists on the right, who are seated at multiple tables.
Europa Clipper Science Team Meeting
The icy surface of Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft on its fourth orbit around Jupiter. 
More
landforms on an icy surface
Flows on Europa
The Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator is shown installed on the spacecraft’s propulsion module.
More
Imaging showing the Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator
Solar Array Mechanical Simulator
This mosaic of the south polar region of Jupiter's moon Europa shows the northern 180 miles (290 kilometers) of a strike-slip fault named Astypalaea Linea.
More
linear terrain features on an icy surface
San Andreas-sized Strike-slip Fault on Europa
One of the Europa Clipper magnetometer's three fluxgate sensors, which will measure the strength and orientation of Europa's magnetic fields.
More
An octagonal device about the size of a small toaster sits on a laboratory table before a worker wearing a white full-body covering in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Magnetometer Fluxgate Assembly
A 3D model of the Europa Imaging System (EIS), an imager on Europa Clipper.
More
3D model of the EIS instrument
EIS
A plasma instrument sensor assembly is subjected to a simulated electromagnetic interference environment.
More
A plasma instrument sensor assembly is subjected to a simulated electromagnetic interference environment.
Plasma Instrument Electromagnetic Interference Testing
An engineer testing the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) electronic box next to the partially assembled instrument in the cleanroom at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the Uni...
More
An image showing an engineer testing the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) electronic box next to the partially assembled instrument in the cleanroom at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Dust Analyzer Electronics Testing
Frozen sulfuric acid on Jupiter's moon Europa is depicted in this image produced from data gathered by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
More
hemispheric view of moon where shades of color indicate concentrations of chemicals
Sulfuric Acid on Europa
This unprocessed image shows the successful “first light” for Europa Clipper’s MISE instrument.
More
A blue image with a thin vertical white line in the center.
MISE First Light
Students explore the relationship between magnetism and electricity.
More
A person is seen holding two wires, one in each hand, and they are putting the wires into a clear plastic cup filled with water.
Discovering Alien Oceans: Magnetism
Join team members from NASA’s Europa Clipper mission in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to learn about testing of the spacecraft’s magnetometer.
More
Video giving an update on Europa Clipper's magnetometer.
Spacecraft Makers: Testing Europa Clipper's Magnetometer
New Horizons took this image of the icy moon Europa rising above Jupiter's cloud tops.
More
black and white view of half-illuminated moon over curving horizon of large planet
Europa Rising
A 3D model of the Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM), a plasma and magnetic field instrument on Europa Clipper. 
More
3D model of ECM instrument
ECM
Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), inspects the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) ion optics assembl...
More
Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), inspects the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) ion optics assembly. The optics will turn and focus the ions generated when hypervelocity dust particles strike SUDA’s metal target plate.
SUDA Assembly
The scanning mirror and data processing unit of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument.
More
The scanning mirror and data processing unit of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument, called MISE, are critical to determining the habitability of the ocean that likely resides beneath Europa’s surface.
Imaging Spectrometer's Scanning Mirror and Data Processing Unit
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón makes her first visit to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
More
Poet Ada Limón is given a tour of JPL where Europa Clipper is under construction. She sees the spacecraft for the first time.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón Visits NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
The flight model of Europa Clipper’s thermal camera is shown during a fit-check, in which technicians ensure the instrument’s various components fit together properly.
More
The flight model of Europa Clipper’s thermal camera is shown during a fit-check, in which technicians ensure the instrument’s various components fit together properly. The test was performed in a clean room at Arizona State University, which is building the instrument and performing initial tests on the hardware. The Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS) will use infrared light to distinguish warmer regions on Europa’s surface, where liquid water may be near the surface or might have erupted onto the surface. E-THEMIS will also measure surface texture to understand the small-scale properties of Europa’s surface.
E-THEMIS Flight Fit Check
This high resolution view of the Conamara Chaos region on Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, reveals craters which range in size from about 98 feet (30 meters) to slightly over a quarter of a mile (over 4...
More
black and white view of craters and other terrain features
Small Craters on Europa
The Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) sensor. At left is the interior of the sensor that will measure Europa’s magnetic field, along with the sensor’s pigtail harness. 
More
close-up view of the Europa Clipper magnetometer's sensor
Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) Sensor
Engineers and technicians in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory display the thick-walled aluminum vault they helped build for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The vault will protect the...
More
Engineers and technicians in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California stand between the thick-walled aluminum vault and its duplicate that they helped build for the agency's Europa Clipper spacecraft.
Complete: Europa Clipper Vault and Its Twin
The picture compares four large impact structures on Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.
More
four black and white views of circular features on icy terrain
Large Impact Structures on Europa