Space Burials, Moon Burials
Space Burials.
Being buried in Space, or being buried on the Moon, is the ultimate in burial services. Become part of the distant future by being taken into Space and travelling forever, visiting planets never before seen, floating casually through the Milky Way, going into solar systems where other life may exist, time is of no consequence.
Once you are dead, you could fulfill nearly every childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and travelling through space. This space burial service allows your ashes to continue the journey into the unknown, even after the Earth is destroyed, your essence will in effect, live forever.
A Space Burial is where a small part of the deceased cremated ashes, are placed inside a small capsule, the size of a lipstick, and are launched into Space by a rocket.
Once the capsule is in the non atmospheric Space, it is free to wander the universe on the solar winds. Gene Roddenbury, the author of Star Trek, is one of many who have been sent into Space already, as well as James Doohan, famous for his role as Scotty, in the television series of Star Trek.
The first idea of Space Burials came out in 1977, and was the brainchild of Mr Richard De Groot, but was not taken serious because of the costs involved in Space travel and the price of launching rockets.
The first Space Burial was carried out on April 21st 1997. The partial remains of twenty four people were carried eleven kilometres above the Canary Islands on a Pegasus Rocket, attached to an airplane.
The rocket then carried the remains into Space and orbited the Earth. The weight of the deceased persons ashes that are sent into Space, is only one gram per person, and this can cost about $10,000.
For a couple it would cost $30,000, and that would be in a capsule within which fourteen grams can be placed. The weight is equivalent to only one percent of a humans weight.
Moon Burials
The has so far only been one proper Moon Burial, that was the former astronomer and space geologist, Eugene Shoemaker.
In 1998, some remains of his were placed in a capsule and attached to the Lunar Project spacecraft, and was then launched on a one year mission to orbit the moon, taking analysis information. After the mission was complete and the rocket had ceased to be of use, NASA deliberately crashed their rocket into the South Pole of the moon, scattering Shoemakers ashes across the landscape.
The normal Moon Burials, those ones which do not have the expense of crashing an entire rocket onto a very large rock, consist of part of your remains being placed in a capsule, and a small plaque with the deceased name, and is then sent off on the next available moon landing rocket.
The capsule is placed in a small spacecraft with other capsules, and left on the moon, the remainder of your ashes can be scattered close to the launch site. There have been approximately 1000 space burials so far, with many more planned, some people have requested that on their death, their ashes be put into storage until mankind's rockets reach Saturn or Mars. It may be their way of having a seat to eventually watch the end of the world.
Man on the Moon
For years man has been travelling to the Moon, taking with him hundreds of tons of specialised metal in the form of space buggies, rockets, robots and other types of space travelling machinery and scientific instruments.
And we have just left it there.
We have already started to litter the solar system, it's not enough for us to litter our own planet, we have to go into Space to carry out our dirty little habits. There is so much space junk flying around our planet in orbit, bits that were separated from the rockets once they entered into orbit.
At least one satellite has be destroyed by floating space junk and several more have been damaged. Let us hope that in the future, if space exploration continues, that man will learn to clean up their own mess, and dispose of their rubbish properly, by bringing it home and recycling. After all, isn't that what all the governments of the world are telling us to do.
Tourist Space Travel, Available Now
Boeing and Virgin Atlantic are offering flights into low orbit for would-be space explorers.
They are designing new aircraft which will literally scrape through the top of the planet, but not actually going into orbit. The race for space does not end there, if you have enough money, you could buy a stay in the International Space Station, orbiting the Earth.
Eating breakfast over Mexico, and lunch in China, sleeping with the most panoramic view the world ( or galaxy ) has to offer. Tourism and space is getting the financial giants excited, as many people would pay for the privilege of travelling in outer Space.
Prototype models and artists drawings are sprouting up all over the World of hotels floating just outside the planet and lunar hotels with recycled air. One day it will be possible for all this, the science fiction films for decades have shown us what it may be like to live in outer space, before we do, I just hope they get rid of all the Space monsters that are meant to live there first.
