Texas-based space funeral company Celestis plans to honor U.S. Presidents George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, as well as deceased Star Trek actors, by launching capsules containing their DNA samples into deep space as part of the Enterprise Flight project.
The flight will take place on the rocket company United Launch Alliance — Vulcan Centaur. On board the carrier will be placed capsules with samples of the genetic code of Star Trek actors Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelly and James Doohan, series creators Gene Roddenberry and Majela Barrett Roddenberry, as well as visual effects masters of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounter of the Third Kind. » Douglas Trumbull and several other famous personalities.
Celestis is a pioneer and world leader in memorial spaceflight. The launch of the DNA of the heads of the United States and actors is timed to coincide with Presidents Day. This is the first time in history that any president will go into space symbolically or otherwise, the company said.
Hair samples from Louis Moucherot's collection, along with their respective certificates of authenticity, were donated to Celestis by an anonymous donor. The hair samples were stored in a climate-controlled room for several years in preparation for the Enterprise Flight.
The announced flight of Celestis is a historic mission by any standard, said co-founder and CEO Charles M. Chafer. He added that Celestis' goal is to "assist human expansion throughout the solar system."
Last November, Celestis added two more people to Enterprise Flight: Star Trek visual effects specialist Greg Jean and series producer Robert H. Justman.
Based on the company's plans, the rocket with samples on board will travel from 150 to 300 million km into deep space. In total, the mission includes 200 capsules containing cremated remains, DNA material, personal messages and congratulations from international clients.
During the main mission, Vulcan Centaur will deliver two Amazon Project Kuiper satellites into Earth orbit and deploy Astrobotic's Peregrine lander to the Moon. After that, the upper stage of the rocket will go into deep space, becoming the most distant outpost of mankind under the name Enterprise Station.
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