NASA is prepping to launch the Lucy spacecraft with an aim to explore the asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit. But, there’s something more to it. The engineers have added a time capsule for the descendants of modern humanity.

The spacecraft is slated to take off on October 16 and will be traveling to the Gas Giant to observe the Trojan asteroids. NASA believes these asteroids hold secrets of the initial days of the solar system and how the planets were formed, reports Gizmodo.

Message for future Earthlings

But since the space agency has no plans to bring Lucy back to Earth, it has included a message for whatever civilization might find the spacecraft in the future. The message is not similar to what Pioneer and Voyager probes carried, which announced our existence to aliens if there are any.

It’s unclear whether the future civilization that finds the spacecraft will be able to understand our language, the report notes. But, in case that happens, the message includes quotes from famous musicians such as The Beatles as well as Nobel Prize winners, among others.

A peek into the past

The plaque will also feature a depiction of the solar system as it will be on Lucy’s launch date. This will allow future space explorers to determine when exactly the spacecraft was launched, NASA mentioned in a press release.

Another NASA spacecraft has exited the solar system. The New Horizons spacecraft continues to hurtle towards exiting the Kuiper Belt and has passed 50 astronomical units. It means New Horizons has covered a distance that is 50 times Earth’s distance from the Sun.

It is only the fifth spacecraft to do so, joining the Voyagers 1 and 2 and the Pioneers 10 and 11. After passing by Pluto, New Horizons has examined the Kuiper Belt object (KBO). The spacecraft is making observations in the Kuiper Belt that aren’t possible from anywhere else.