If you’ve always had a secret desire to be buried in space your dream might just come true. A US Funeral business is now taking reservations for landing small capsules of ashes (cremated ashes that is) on the moon. <\/p>\n
“Celestis’ first general public lunar mission could occur as early as 2010 and reservations are now being taken,” said Charles M. Chafer, Celestis founder and president, in an email to AFP.<\/p>\n
“We can send up to 5000 individual capsules to the lunar surface,” he said.<\/p>\n
The company also hopes to install a cemetery on the lunar surface to hold the cremated remains of the dead, or a smaller symbolic portion of them, which might one day be visited by relatives of the deceased. <\/p>\n
Transportation of the ashes will be handled by two other US private space companies – Odyssey Moon and Astrobotic Technology, both of whom are working on making commercial flights to the moon.<\/p>\n
So how much will it cost to be “buried” on the moon? Well .. to send a tiny one gram portion of cremated remains to the moon it will cost about $9,995. <\/p>\n
If that’s too expensive you could consider their other funeral services such as sending ash into earths orbit, the cheapest option starting at $700 or you might want your remains launched deep into space at a charge of about $37,000!<\/p>\n
Ten years ago NASA paid tribute to top US astronomer Eugene Shoemaker by carrying into space a portion of his cremated remains.<\/p>\n
After a year in lunar orbit Shoemaker’s remains were intentionally planted on the moon’s south pole, the first time human remains have been landed on the lunar surface — but maybe not the last time.<\/p>\n