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."
@RUTGERS.ARPA:TRUDEL@RU-BLUE.ARPA (02/04/85)
From: JOn <TRUDEL@RU-BLUE.ARPA> Space Burial sounds interesting enough to persue further. I do remember reading about this somewhere other than the digest. It's an interesting concept, and the costs don't seem to be 'out of this world' (sorry). But what about funerals at the other end of the shuttle flights? I had the idea about being cremated by the shuttle's engines on takeoff... JOn -------
john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john) (02/08/85)
<<< According to the paper they will fit >10,000 "remains" into a 300 lb capsule (including capsule weight). That puts your average 150 lb body down to less than .03 lbs. Talk about compession! The scary part is look at what history tells us about civilizations that start spending significate portions of their GNP on burials and gravestones. They all seem to collapse shortly after. John Eaton !hplabs!hp-pcd!john
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
cjh@petsd.UUCP (Chris Henrich) (02/21/85)
[] John Eaton writes: > The scary part is look at what history tells us about civilizations that > start spending significate portions of their GNP on burials and gravestones. > They all seem to collapse shortly after. Is this really true? The only civilization I can remember that was notorious for spending a lot on graves was ancient Egypt. And they stayed around for thousands of years; they were conquered by Alexander the Great, later by Rome, later by Islam - all very aggressive persons or organizations who conquered a whole lot besides. I don't see that they died of the weight of their supposed pre-occupation with graves. Regards, Chris -- Full-Name: Christopher J. Henrich UUCP: ..!(cornell | ariel | ukc | houxz)!vax135!petsd!cjh US Mail: MS 313; Perkin-Elmer; 106 Apple St; Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 Phone: (201) 870-5853
crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin) (02/22/85)
In article <8200045@hp-pcd.UUCP> john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john) writes: ><<< > > According to the paper they will fit >10,000 "remains" into a 300 lb >capsule (including capsule weight). That puts your average 150 lb body >down to less than .03 lbs. Talk about compession! > > The scary part is look at what history tells us about civilizations that >start spending significate portions of their GNP on burials and gravestones. >They all seem to collapse shortly after. > > >John Eaton >!hplabs!hp-pcd!john The only thing is, are we *really* talking about a significant part of our GNP? (O($10^12)). Remember, the some of the first things they put on TV were wrestling matches... -- Opinions stated here are my own and are unrelated. Charlie Martin (...mcnc!duke!crm) "I am not a number, I'm a free variable!"