t opside V olume 120 , I s s u e 2
P a ge 17
USCG Auxiliary District Fifth Northern is Booked for a Spaceflight to Europa ! by Tim Marks , DSO-PB
NASA is gathering names to be engraved on NASA ’ s Europa Clipper spacecraft as it travels 1.8 billion miles to explore Europa , an ocean world that may support life . Commodore Joe Giannattasio has placed the name of “ USCG Auxiliary 5NR ” on the space-bound craft .
NASA has announced the launch of the Message in a Bottle initiative . Within its framework , anyone can send their name to Jupiter and its moons . Names will be accepted until December 31 , 2023 .
In order to send your name to Europa , you need to fill out a short form at the following link : https :// Europa . nasa . gov / message-in-a-bottle / sign-on /
In doing so , each signee reserves a free , guaranteed spot for their name to be laser etched into a microchip mounted aboard the solar powered Europa Clipper robotic spacecraft .
Following its October 2024 scheduled launch , participants ’ names will then travel the approximately 6-year , 1.8-billion-mile voyage alongside Poet Laureate of the United States , Ada Limón ’ s new , moon-inspired ode , “ In Praise of Mystery ” also to be engraved onto Europa Clipper .