ecl@ahuta.UUCP (ecl) (01/29/85)
The latest venture of Space Services, Inc. (owner of the Conestoga rockets) is
***Space Burial***
Yes, you can be buried in space! Just have someone send your cremated remains
("cremains," as they were called in the news story on NPR this morning) to SSI
(not to be confused with the Princeton-based Space Studies Institute, also
called SSI), and they will further reduce them to fit into a capsule
approximately 1" by 1-1/4" which will be inscribed with your name, social
security number, and (optional) religious symbol of your choice. Then a
capsule containing several thousand of these will be placed into low earth
orbit (through the Van Allen Belt, which has very little satellite traffic).
Oh, yes--the nosecone will be reflective so that your loved ones can, with the
aid of a telescope, watch your remains cruise through the sky.
(The cost of all this is $3900, which SSI claims is not much more than an
earth-based funeral. Of course, there's the cost of cremation on top of
that, and the telescope,...)
This brings a whole new meaning to the hymn, "Nearer, My God, to Thee"!
Evelyn C. Leeper
...{ihnp4, houxm, hocsj}!ahuta!eclkarn@petrus.UUCP (01/30/85)
What a stupid idea. It's not enough that humans have to waste on cemeteries the land that's scarce enough in some areas to fight wars over (which is one good way to fill them). After all the amount of land in the world is essentially constant and the number of dead people in the world is monotonically increasing. Now we have to waste one of mankinds's most expensive and potentially valuable technological systems we have on it as well. Ah, progress and free enterprise. What else would you expect from a country that gave you both Ronald Reagan and William Proxmire? Phil (I want to be cremated when I die) Karn
ndiamond@watdaisy.UUCP (Norman Diamond) (01/30/85)
> It's not enough that humans have to waste on cemeteries the land that's > scarce enough in some areas to fight wars over (which is one good way to > fill them). After all the amount of land in the world is essentially > constant and the number of dead people in the world is monotonically > increasing. > Phil (I want to be cremated when I die) Karn Until "recently" (historically speaking), it was not uncommon for the same cemetery plots to be re-used, after intervals of around 10 or 50 years or so. This practice changed when squeamish people migrated to a continent that had an infinite supply of land. (They also obtain infinite supplies of fresh water, food, trees for paper, etc., from this land.) -- Norman Diamond UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra|clyde}!watmath!watdaisy!ndiamond CSNET: ndiamond%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet ARPA: ndiamond%watdaisy%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa "Opinions are those of the keyboard, and do not reflect on me or higher-ups."
al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) (02/12/85)
>Yes, you can be buried in space! Just have someone send your cremated remains >("cremains," as they were called in the news story on NPR this morning) to SSI >(not to be confused with the Princeton-based Space Studies Institute, also >called SSI), and they will further reduce them to fit into a capsule >approximately 1" by 1-1/4" which will be inscribed with your name, social >security number, and (optional) religious symbol of your choice. Then a >capsule containing several thousand of these will be placed into low earth >orbit (through the Van Allen Belt, which has very little satellite traffic). Compact little shapes? (like what the Kelvans did to the crew of the Enterprise) Low Earth orbit? What a drag. I think I'll wait until they can give my carcass enough energy to leave the solar system. I can't decide whether I'd like to have my arms outstretched like Superman or maybe even go feet first. Imparting a stately slow roll to the body might be dignified but I'd be mad if they set that sucker tumbling arsey-varsey. Real comforting, thinking about gliding along that infinite mean free path until you sublimate. Better than a pyramid. -------------------------------- Alan Filipski, UNIX group, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ U.S.A {seismo | ihnp4 } ! ut-sally ! oakhill ! mot ! al -------------------------------- she canna' take much more o' this, captain