Kentucky writer and U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón’s work will be among the stars in 2024.
An original work by Limón will be engraved on the side of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission spacecraft.
I have been wanting to share this news since I first got the call. I have the extreme honor of crafting an original poem that will go on the spacecraft @EuropaClipper to Jupiter’s second moon Europa! It’s the most intimidating and inspiring prompt I have ever received. https://t.co/DFyUg1onPY
— Ada Limón (@adalimon) January 30, 2023
The purpose of the mission is to explore Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. Europa has a large internal ocean, and NASA aims to use the craft to determine if that makes it suitable for life.
“Water is such an essential element to us on earth that it only feels natural to want to explore another place that holds so much mystery and so much water,” Limón said in a video announcing the collaboration.
She described Europa as a “sister water world” and will dedicate the poem to the mission itself.
Limón’s poem will be released this spring, and the Europa Clipper mission is set to launch in Oct. 2024.
To learn more about Limón, check out WKMS News Director Derek Operle's interview with her.
