Celestis
Celestis is a company that launches cremated human remains into space, a procedure known as a space burial. It is an affiliate company of Space Services Inc.[1] The company purchases launches as a secondary payload on various rockets, and launches samples of many people's cremated remains on one launch. Launching an individual's entire cremated remains (which weigh between four to eight pounds)[2] would be prohibitively expensive for most people, so Celestis launches 1 gram or 7 gram samples of cremated remains so as to provide an affordable service.[3]
Celestis has flown a number of notable participants over the years. Its first flight -- The Founders Flight -- carried cremated remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry[4] and 1960s icon Timothy Leary[5] into Earth orbit. Also on board were physicist and space visionary Gerard K. O'Neill[6], noted rocket scientist Krafft A. Ehricke[7], and 20 others[8]. Dr. Eugene Shoemaker—a famous planetary geologist and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 -- was launched to the moon on NASA's Lunar Prospector mission in 1998: Celestis helped friends of Dr. Shoemaker include a sample of his cremated remains on that mission.[9] Mercury 7 astronaut L. Gordon Cooper[10], Star Trek actor James Doohan ("Mr. Scott")[11], and a host of others from various walks of life were launched on board The Legacy Flight in 2007[12]. Titanic explorer Ralph White was on board the Discovery[13] and Pioneer[14] flights. Furthermore, the late Majel Barrett Roddenberry—Star Trek's "Nurse Chapel," the voice of the computer on board the fictional starship Enterprise, and Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation -- will fly with Gene Roddenberry on a future Celestis mission into deep space.[15]
Family members and friends of flight participants usually can attend the launch. Celestis usually arranges for a tour of the launch facility and hosts a non-sectarian memorial service prior to the launch.[3] Celestis also helps people prearrange their own memorial spaceflights for the future.[16]
[edit] Missions
| Launch date/time (GMT) | Rocket | Flight name | Flight type | Notable individuals | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 April 1997, 11:59 | Pegasus-XL | Founders[17] | Earth orbit | Beauford Franklin, Rocket Scientist Gene Roddenberry, writer Gerard O'Neill, physicist Krafft Ehricke, rocket scientist Timothy Leary, psychologist, writer |
Reached Earth orbit; Reentered atmosphere May 20, 2002 |
| 7 January 1998, 02:29 | Athena | Luna-01[17] | Luna | Eugene Merle Shoemaker, astronomer | Attached to Lunar Prospector Landed 31 July 1999 |
| 10 February 1998, 13:20 | Taurus | Ad Astra[17] | Earth orbit | Reached Earth orbit; Still on orbit | |
| 21 December 1999, 07:13 | Taurus | Millennial[17] | Earth orbit | Charles Oren Bennett, illustrator | Reached Earth orbit; Still on orbit |
| 21 September 2001, 18:49 | Taurus | Odyssey[17] | Earth orbit | Failed to reach orbit | |
| 28 April 2007, 14:56 GMT | SpaceLoft XL | Legacy | Earthrise (suborbital) | Gordon Cooper, astronaut James Doohan , Star Trek actor |
Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned |
| 3 August 2008, 03:34 GMT | Falcon 1 | Explorers | Earth orbit | Gordon Cooper, astronaut James Doohan, Star Trek actor |
Failed to reach orbit[18] |
| 2 May 2009, 14:00 GMT | SpaceLoft XL | Discovery | Earthrise (suborbital) | Ralph White, explorer[19] | Failed to reach space[20][21] |
| 4 May 2010, 12:41 GMT | SpaceLoft XL | Pioneer | Earthrise (suborbital) | Ralph white. explorer[22] | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned |
| 20 May 2011, 13:21 GMT | SpaceLoft XL | Goddard | Earthrise (suborbital) | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned |
[edit] References
- ^ "Launch ashes - Space burial - Space funeral - Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/about.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Cremation Process: Step by Step". Cremationassociation.org. http://www.cremationassociation.org/Consumers/WhatisCremation/CremationProcess/tabid/143/Default.aspx. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Launch ashes - Space burial - Space funeral - Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/faq.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/roddenberry.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/leary.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/oneil.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/ehricke.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights - The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/default.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Launch ashes - Space burial - Space funeral - Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/luna01/lunar01.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Legacy Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/cooper.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Legacy Flight". Celestis.com. 31 August 2004. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/doohan.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "The founders of Celestis bring you: Space Services Inc. - Memorial Spaceflights". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/default.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Discovery Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/discovery/white.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Participants on board The Pioneer Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/pioneer/white.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Celestis Voyager Flight Participants". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/voyager/majel_roddenberry.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "Launch ashes - Space burial - Space funeral - Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/advance_planning.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Launch manifest". Celestis. http://www.celestis.com/manifest.asp.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (August 2, 2008). "SpaceX Falcon I fails during first stage flight". NASASpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/08/spacex-falcon-i-fails-during-first-stage-flight/.
- ^ "Ralph Bradshaw White". The Discovery Flight. Celestis. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/discovery/white.asp. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
- ^ "Officials Praise NM Rocket Launch". KOAT. 2 May 2009. http://www.koat.com/news/19351869/detail.html. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
- ^ "Rocket falls short of altitude goal at space port". KVIA.com. 2 May 2009. http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=10291837&nav=AbC0. Retrieved 2 May 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights - The Pioneer Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/pioneerFlight.asp. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
[edit] External links
 |
This space- or spaceflight-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
