Title: NASA Encourages Space Enthusiasts to Send Their Names to Jupiter Following Europa Clipper Contract with SpaceX
Subtitle: Visiting Jupiter Should Be A Hard To Cross Bucket List Item, Says NASA
Date: [Date]
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has called on space enthusiasts and followers to send their names to Jupiter as part of their mission to explore the largest planet in our solar system. Since a personal visit to Jupiter is highly unlikely during their lifetime, NASA proposes sending engraved names to the planet’s icy moon, Europa, aboard the Europa Clipper observation satellite, which is set to launch in 2024.
The contract for the Europa Clipper mission was awarded to SpaceX in July 2021, marking one of the first contracts that SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy had won over NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Delays and cost overruns faced by the SLS rocket played a role in this decision, with the Falcon Heavy offering a more reliable and cost-effective alternative.
NASA’s budget request for the fiscal year 2021, which gained attention last year, included the Europa Clipper spacecraft construction completion date set for November 2023. Notably, the unavailability of the SLS rocket led to increased storage costs for the spacecraft, estimated to range between $36 million and $60 million. In contrast, the SLS rocket’s launch costs were estimated at a staggering $900 million per launch in 2019, significantly higher than the Falcon Heavy’s $150 million price tag. However, opting for the Falcon Heavy launch requires the Clipper satellite to make gravity assist turns in space, resulting in a slower arrival date at Europa.
Desperate to engage space enthusiasts who dream of visiting Jupiter, NASA recently launched a campaign allowing individuals to have their names engraved on the Europa Clipper satellite. With 11 months remaining until the satellite’s launch, NASA is encouraging submissions for this unique opportunity. Europa, known as one of Jupiter’s closest moons among the 95 moons orbiting the planet, has long been a subject of interest due to the possibility of harboring extraterrestrial life under its icy surface.
While NASA’s initiative to send names to Jupiter has received some support, many followers are not satisfied with the suggestion. They emphasize that technology is continually evolving and believe that future manned missions to Europa should not be dismissed. Crewed deep space exploration missions are considered uncharted territory, with solar radiation and Van Allen Belts posing significant challenges. However, SpaceX’s Starship, currently undergoing testing in Boca Chica, Texas, aims to overcome these obstacles and become a reliable spacecraft for lunar and outer space operations.
As space enthusiasts eagerly await the launch of the Europa Clipper and the potential revelation of Europa’s secrets, NASA’s proposal to send names to Jupiter serves as a reminder of the vast opportunities that space exploration presents, even if visiting Jupiter in person remains an elusive dream.
As a significant development in space exploration, NASA’s collaboration with SpaceX and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission demonstrate the agencies’ commitment to expanding our knowledge of the universe. While engraved names on a satellite may not be the same as setting foot on Jupiter, they symbolize humanity’s unwavering spirit of discovery and exploration.