Europa Clipper’s Vault Plate

Introduction

There's a legacy of NASA spacecraft carrying inspirational messages from Earth, from the Pioneer Plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, to engravings carried aboard NASA's Mars rovers. Now, as NASA sends a new mission from one ocean world to another, the Europa Clipper spacecraft continues this tradition, inspiring global interest and connection through its journey.

Connected by Water

Explore the intricate design of NASA's Europa Clipper vault plate in 3D: Spin the digital model to discover the languages of Earth, celestial equations, and a poem for Europa, all uniting art, science, and humanity in a message of exploration. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Download and embed options

Water connects our planet Earth with Jupiter's moon Europa. The Europa Clipper mission aims to confirm that a vast ocean exists beneath Europa's icy surface, making it a promising place to study habitability for life beyond Earth. This shared element of water inspired the Europa Clipper team to engrave designs that celebrate human connections and our collective spirit of exploration on a triangular metal plate. The plate, made of tantalum metal about 1 millimeter thick and about 7 by 11 inches (18 by 28 centimeters), is part of the structure that will protect Europa Clipper’s electronics from Jupiter’s harmful radiation.

Water connects all life as we know it, and all human cultures. The outward-facing side of the vault plate features "Water Words" — a visual representation of the word for water in 103 spoken languages, extending from a central symbol that represents the sign for water in American Sign Language. Professional linguists helped to collect a diverse and inclusive sampling of human language families from across the globe. Audio recordings of these words are engraved on the vault plate as waveforms – visual representations of each sound. The circular symbol representing the sign for water in American Sign Language was created using a technique in image processing and data compression, called a Fourier transform.

Waveform Generator

Exploration is something we do together, something that connects us all as we head out into the cosmic sea. The Waveform Generator lets you experience the word "water" in over 100 spoken languages as well as American Sign Language. Listen, create your waveform graphic, and share it to join our celebration of Earth's and Europa's interconnected stories.

Listen & Create: Hear and view "water" in over 100 languages and generate a waveform graphic for the language of your choice.
Share Your Graphic: Share the waveform you selected on social media and let us know why you chose it. What does exploration and our shared connection to water mean to you?
Tag & Hashtag: Use @EuropaClipper and #GoEuropaClipper to let us see and share your inspiring contributions.

How were the languages selected?

NASA worked with a group of professional linguists to identify a set of languages from a broad range of language families to be engraved in the limited space available on the Europa Clipper vault plate. The goal was to identify a diverse set of language families to represent humanity on a global scale.

Can I suggest a language that's not included?

Didn’t find the language you were looking for? Share your own on social media and use the #GoEuropaClipper hashtag!

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Learn more about the design of Europa Clipper’s vault plate. The plate, made of tantalum metal about 1 millimeter thick and about 7 by 11 inches (18 by 18 centimeters), is part of the structure that will protect Europa Clipper’s electronics from Jupiter’s harmful radiation. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa"

The lower half of Europa Clipper’s vault plate is visible, showing the poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón (lower right), a drawing representing the Jovian system that will host the names of 2.6 million people flying with mission on a microchip (top right), a tribute to planetary scientist Ron Greeley (bottom left), and the radio emission lines known a the ‘Water Hole’ (center). This assembly of engravings on the reflective silver surface, set against the darkness. — The lower half of Europa Clipper’s vault plate, showing the poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón (lower right), a drawing representing the Jovian system that will host the names of 2.6 million people flying with mission on a microchip (top right), a tribute to planetary scientist Ron Greeley (bottom left), and the radio emission lines known a the ‘Water Hole’ (center). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This original poem, written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, is engraved on the vault plate in her own handwriting. The poem connects the two water worlds — Earth, yearning to reach out and understand what makes a world habitable, and Europa, waiting with secrets yet to be explored.

The poem was revealed at the Library of Congress on June 1, 2023. From that date until December 31, 2023, people around the world were invited to sign their names to the poem as part of NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign. Over 2.6 million people submitted their names to be stenciled on a microchip that will travel to Europa alongside the poem. The campaign was a special collaboration, uniting art and science, by NASA, the U.S. Poet Laureate, and the Library of Congress.

2.6 Million Names in a Cosmic Message Bottle

Millions of people around the world have this thing in common: their name is flying to Europa aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The names of those who participated in NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign are etched on a fingernail- sized silicon chip. The chip is attached to the tantalum metal vault plate, placed within a drawing that represents the Jovian system and the orbits of its four largest moons. The center of the drawing is a bottle, representing NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign.

The Drake Equation

Engraved in the handwriting of astrophysicist and astrobiologist Frank Drake (1930–2022), the Drake Equation is a tribute to the visionary idea that the probability of finding life in the cosmos is something we can estimate. The Drake Equation is a mathematical formula for the possibility of finding advanced, communicating civilizations in the Milky Way. This equation has guided and inspired scientific research in various fields related to astrobiology, which is the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.

"Water Hole" Radio Emission Lines

In astronomy, the term "water hole" refers to a range of frequencies that are relatively quiet of background noise, and thus have been considered ideal by some researchers for interstellar communication. These frequencies fall between the hydrogen emission line at 1420 megahertz and the hydroxyl line at 1660-1666 megahertz. These lines on Europa Clipper’s vault plate represent a connection between water and the search for life beyond Earth. They are also a scientific and mathematical way of expressing the word "water" — the chemical symbols for hydrogen and hydroxyl, H and OH, represent the products when water molecules (H2O) are split apart. Like the Drake Equation, the lines represent our ability to use the language of science to follow our curiosity. As with Europa exploration, it’s the promise of water that has drawn inquisitive human minds to reach out and listen in this radio band for messages from the stars.

This side of the Europa Clipper's vault plate showcases a rich tapestry of scientific and cultural significance. At the top left, a detailed engraving of Frank Drake accompanies the Drake Equation in his own handwriting. Below, the graceful script of 'In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa' by Ada Limón stretches across the plate. To the bottom left, a likeness of Ron Greeley pays homage to his contributions to planetary science. The 'Water Hole' radio emission lines are elegantly represented, symbolizing our search for extraterrestrial communication. This assembly of engravings on the reflective silver surface, set against the darkness, encapsulates humanity's quest for understanding beyond our world. — The reverse side of Europa Clipper’s vault plate, featuring a handwritten poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, the Drake Equation handwritten by astrophysicist Frank Drake, a drawing of the Jovian system, a tribute to planetary scientist Ron Greeley, and the radio emission lines known as the ‘Water Hole’. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Tribute to Planetary Scientist Ron Greeley

Ron Greeley (1939–2011) was a founder of the field of planetary science, helping to lay the groundwork for visits to the Moon by the Apollo astronauts. Greeley worked on a broad array planetary science missions, studying the similarities and differences of far-flung landscapes, with fundamental comparisons to Earth. As a member of the Galileo spacecraft imaging team, he led and developed the strategy for imaging Europa. His early efforts to develop a Europa mission beginning two decades ago laid the foundation for the Europa Clipper mission. He mentored many researchers, including some who are now Europa Clipper science team members. This hand-drawn sketch and signature of Ron Greeley carried with the mission to Europa is a reminder of his tireless and inspirational dedication to planetary exploration.

Credits

Development of the vault plate was managed by Preston Dyches (Senior Public Engagement Specialist) and Dan Goods (Visual Strategist) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with support from NASA Creative Director David Rager.

Additional support for the vault plate design process came from Bob Pappalardo (Europa Clipper Project Scientist), Cynthia Phillips (Europa Clipper Project Staff Scientist), Heather Doyle (Solar System Public Engagement Manager), and Laurance Fauconnet (Europa Clipper Public Engagement Lead) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Outward-Facing Side: Water Words
Linguistics researchers Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen, Dr. Laura Buszard-Welcher, and interstellar message researcher Dr. Doug Vakoch of METI International contributed to the development of this project and collected the recorded languages. The design was created by writer/designer Debbie Millman. Creative collaborators Larry Guterman and Arthur Salvetti contributed the American Sign Language symbol. The concept for the Water Words design was developed by Dan Goods and Preston Dyches.

Inward-Facing Side: All Other Markings
The design for the inward-facing side of the vault plate was developed by David Rager (Creative Director, NASA) and Kaelyn Richards (Designer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Elements of the design were contributed by the SETI Institute and by Cynthia Greeley. The "Water Hole" radio emission lines design was developed by Dr. Doug Vakoch of METI International.