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Fly me to the moon...
28/03/2008 13:59 - (SA)
Los Angeles - The moon could
become a final resting place for some of mankind thanks to a
commercial service that hopes to send human ashes to the lunar
surface on robotic landers, the company said on Thursday.
Celestis Inc, a company that pioneered the sending of
cremated remains into suborbital space on rockets, said it
would start a service to the surface of the moon that could
begin as early as next year.
The cost starts at $10 000 for a small quantity of ashes
from one person.
Celestis president Charles Chafer said his company reached
an agreement with Odyssey Moon Ltd and Astrobotic Technology
Inc, to attach capsules containing cremated remains onto
robotic lunar landers.
Odyssey Moon and Astrobotic are among private enterprises
seeking to land a robotic craft on the moon and conduct
scientific experiments. The cremation capsules would remain on
the moon with the lunar landers when the missions were
complete.
Chafer said he expected about 1,000 capsules containing
ashes to be launched on the first lunar mission, expected in
late 2009 or early 2010, and about 5,000 on future flights.
"The moon is a special place," Chafer said, adding a half
dozen people had already signed up for the service.
"For many people, it would be a romantic notion to look up
into the sky and see the moon and know that your mom or dad or
loved one is up there memorialized."
In the past 11 years, Celestis Inc, a unit of
Houston-based Space Services Incorporated, has sent the ashes
of hundreds of people from 14 nations into space, including
US astronaut Gordon Cooper and Star Trek actor James
Doohan, who played chief engineer Scotty in the popular TV
series.
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