Through an anonymous donor, Keuka College secured a small sliver of payload aboard Astrobotic Technology's Griffin Mission 1 – a spacecraft bound for the moon.
Alongside scientific payloads from NASA and the European Space Agency, it’s just enough room for a list of the College’s 17,000-plus alumni, along with a greeting from College President Amy Storey to any human or extraterrestrial explorer who might find it:
In 1890, Keuka College was founded to bring strength to our nation and help to humanity through innovative and experiential learning guided by the liberal arts tradition. Today, we honor the soaring aspirations and achievements of our alumni, whose names are recorded here, and whose legacies continue to inspire new generations of scholars and global citizens to set their sights ever higher.
Astrobotic Technology
Astrobotic Technology's Griffin lander, set to launch later this year, will carry Keuka College’s alumni names on a historic journey to the Moon.
The planned landing site, near the moon’s south pole, is an unexplored frontier, and scientists think there might be pure ice hidden within its shadowed craters. That could make it an ideal site for a future lunar base powered by solar energy. For the time being, it will serve as the site of a miniature time capsule preserving Keuka College’s alumni rolls and select other cultural artifacts from Earth.
“We’re thrilled to have the support of Keuka College and the broader academic community in this historic mission to help push the boundaries of exploration. Griffin Mission 1 isn’t just about reaching the moon – it’s about inspiring people to dream bigger and go farther.”
The Griffin spacecraft is due for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, later this year.
Onwards and Upwards
Fascinated by scientific discovery? Check out the Keuka College Science Club, which conducts an array of exciting experiments from catapult launches to purple haze eruptions.
