Space burial

Taurus rocket launch (time exposure)

Space burial is a burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket. As of 2004, samples of about 150 people have been "buried" in space.

History

The concept of launching remains into space using conventional rockets was first proposed by the early science fiction author Neil R. Jones in the novella "The Jameson Satellite" published in the pulp magazine "Amazing Stories" in 1931. It was later proposed as a commercial service by Richard DeGroot in a Seattle Times newspaper article on April 3, 1977. The practice of space burials began at the end of the 20th century as the technical difficulties and costs involved in launching an object into space previously made it unfeasible. The first space burial Earthview 01: The Founders Flight was launched on April 21, 1997. An aircraft carried a modified Pegasus rocket containing samples of the remains of 24 people to an altitude of 11 km (38,000 ft) above the Canary Islands. The rocket then carried the remains on an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 578 km (359 mi) and a perigee of 551 km (342 mi), rotating around earth once every 96 minutes until reentry on May 20, 2002, northeast of Australia. Famous people buried on this flight were Gene Roddenberry and Timothy Leary.

The second space burial was the burial of a sample of the remains of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker on the moon by the Lunar Prospector probe, launched on January 7, 1999 by a three-stage Athena rocket. The probe containing scientific instruments and the ashes of Dr. Shoemaker impacted the moon near the lunar south pole on 4:52 a.m. Central Daylight Time, July 31, 1999.

The list of space burials to date:

• April 21, 1997: 24 remains samples launched into earth orbit on a modified Pegasus rocket
• January 7, 1998: Sample of the remains of Eugene Shoemaker as secondary payload on a three-stage Athena rocket to the moon
• February 10, 1998: 30 remains samples as a secondary payload launched into earth orbit on a Taurus rocket
• December 20, 1999: 36 remains samples as a secondary payload launched into earth orbit on a Taurus rocket
• September 21, 2001: 43 remains samples as a secondary payload failed to be launched into earth orbit on a Taurus rocket
• January 19, 2006: Sample of the remains of Clyde Tombaugh on the New Horizons spacecraft launched by a Atlas V rocket to Pluto
• August 3, 2008: 208 remains samples flown as a secondary payload lost in the failure of a Falcon 1 rocket.

Religious aspects

Most religions do not provide special instructions for space burial due to the procedure being only a recent development, and only around 150 people have been buried in space so far. As only a small portion of the remains are buried, a regular funeral and burial ceremony can be performed according to the beliefs of the deceased, and only a small part of the remains are diverted into space. Due to the infrequency of the flights, the sample of the remains have to be stored until the next launch. Also, not all religions allow the bodies of deceased to be cremated, as is done in space burial.

Famous people buried in space

Launched to Earth orbit on April 21, 1997

• Gene Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 - October 24, 1991), creator of Star Trek.
• Gerard O'Neill (1927-1992) space physicist.
• Krafft Ehricke, (1917-1984) rocket scientist.
• Timothy Leary, (October 22, 1920 - May 31, 1996), American writer, psychologist, psychedelic drug advocate, and former Harvard professor.

Buried on the Moon on July 31, 1999

• Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, (April 28, 1928 - July 18, 1997), Astronomer and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Launched to Earth orbit on December 20, 1999

• Charles Oren Bennett (January 21, 1928-1999), space illustrator

Launched into outer space in a trajectory out of the solar system on January 19, 2006

• Clyde Tombaugh (February 4, 1906 - January 17, 1997), American astronomer and discoverer of Pluto in 1930. These ashes are aboard New Horizons, the first craft which will pass by and photograph Pluto. They are the first human remains which will escape the Sun to travel between the stars.

Launched sub-orbitally and recovered on April 28, 2007

• James Doohan, (March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) actor, best known for his portrayal of Scotty in the television and movie series Star Trek
• Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. (March 6, 1927 - October 4, 2004), an American astronaut. He was one of the original Mercury Seven pilots in the Project Mercury program, the first manned space effort by the United States.

To be launched into Space

• Majel Barrett (1932-2008) - American actress who played Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek series; wife of Gene Roddenberry, who died in 2008 from leukemia; her remains will be launched into space in 2012, as was done with the remains of her husband.

Animal remains in space

A number of animals have died in space; see Animals in space. It is not clear is whether there are still animal remains in space. Though there have been requests, no pets have yet been buried in space.

External links

• The Ultimate One-Way Ticket, Wired Magazine February 21, 2006
• Death Is a Long, Strange Trip, Wired Magazine November 7, 2006