Europa Clipper Vault Plate – Poem & Message In A Bottle Design

This image shows a full view of the Europa Clipper vault plate’s inward-facing side. At the top of the plate is 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.

Next is the Jovian system with a bottle replacing Jupiter. It's orbited by the four largest moons of Jupiter, including Europa. The names of the more than 2.6 million people who participated in NASA’s "Message in a Bottle" campaign are etched on a fingernail-sized silicon chip that will be attached to the vault plate.

At the heart of the plate is the poem, “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. It is engraved on the vault plate in her own handwriting.

To the left of the poem are two lines that represent radio frequencies emitted in space for molecules related to water.

In the lower left corner is an engraved portrait of one of the founders of planetary science, Dr. Ron Greeley (1939-2011). Greeley mentored many members of the Europa Clipper team, and helped to lead early efforts toward the development of a Europa mission.