Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA has launched the Europa Clipper mission, aimed at exploring Jupiter’s moon Europa, which shows strong evidence of a vast ocean beneath its icy surface.
Along with scientific instruments, the spacecraft is carrying a special plate engraved with a message in 103 languages, including Hindi. The word “paani,” meaning water in Hindi, is included in the recording.
The plate, measuring 7 by 11 inches, showcases the word “water” in over 100 Earth languages. This symbolic gesture connects Earth’s oceans to the water believed to exist on Europa.
Similar to the Golden Record sent on the Voyager mission, this new plate carries a message representing Earth’s languages, technology, and the significance of water for life.
Made from tantalum metal, the plate includes artistic and scientific elements on both sides, combining concepts from multiple fields such as art, technology, and science.
The message emphasizes humanity’s universal need for water, tying Earth to Europa, a potentially habitable world under investigation for signs of life.
In addition to the multilingual message, the spacecraft carries a handwritten poem, “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, as well as a microchip etched with over 2.6 million names from people worldwide.
The plate also includes artwork referencing radio frequencies used in interstellar communication, symbolizing humanity’s ongoing efforts to explore and connect with the universe beyond Earth.