NASA's mission to an ice-covered moon will contain a message between water worlds

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, headed to Jupiter's ice-covered moon Europa in October 2024, will carry a laser-etched message that celebrates humanity's connection to water. The message pays homage to past NASA missions ...
As the president of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI, International, I helped design the message on Clipper with two fellow members of our board of directors: linguists Sheri Wells-Jensen and Laura Buszard-Welcher. METI International is a scientific organization dedicated to transmitting powerful radio messages to .
We collected in 103 languages, and we decided how to convert these into waveforms that show these sounds visually. Colleagues from NASA etched these waveforms into the metal plate that shields the spacecraft's sensitive electronics from Jupiter's harsh radiation.

I also designed another part of the message that visually depicts the wavelengths of water's constituents, because water is so important to the search for intelligent life in the universe.

An illustration of the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will head to Jupiter’s moon Europa. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The waveform for the Catalan word for water – ‘aigua’ – is etched on the Clipper plate. It also appears on NASA’s website. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The Europa Clipper spacecraft, to be launched to Jupiter’s water world moon in October 2024, includes a tantalum metal plate laser-engraved with the word for water in 103 languages from around the world. Each word is shown as a waveform. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The Drake Equation is inscribed at the top of the inward-facing side of the plate bearing the Clipper message. It is written in Frank Drake’s handwriting. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The inward-facing side of the Europa Clipper message includes wavelengths of the hydrogen and hydroxyl emission lines. These represent the components of water. The band of frequencies between these lines is called the 'water hole.' Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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