A NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying a small ocean world will carry with it a metal plaque etched with the ripples created by the many ways humans say "water."
The Europa Clipper Vault Plate was revealed by NASA on Friday (March 8) at the opening session of the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. Lori Glaze, NASA's director of planetary science, joined U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón on stage to discuss the intersection of space and art, as well as again hear Limón recite her ode, "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," which is etched in her handwriting on one side of the plate bound for Jupiter's second moon.
Glaze held up a backup version of the 7-by-11-inch (18 by 28 centimeters) tantalum plaque, showing it for the first time to the SXSW audience and to those watching online.
"I put on gloves so that I can pick this up and show you," said Glaze. "This is the trial version. Everything is on here. They wouldn't let me actually touch the one that's going [to space], but even with the practice version, I have to wear gloves."
Related: Europa Clipper: A guide to NASA's new astrobiology mission
