Energy News
SPACE TRAVEL
From Hair to Eternity: locks of US presidents heading to space
From Hair to Eternity: locks of US presidents heading to space
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Feb 20, 2023

George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan are going on a hair-raising journey into outer space.

Not the actual -- and long dead -- former US presidents, of course, but samples of their hair.

Celestis, a Texas-based company that specializes in space burials, announced the plan on Monday, which is celebrated as Presidents' Day in the United States.

Celestis said it will launch "what we believe to be authenticated DNA" of the former presidents into space aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket later this year.

Also aboard the flight -- dubbed "Enterprise" -- will be some of the cremated remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and other cast members from the groundbreaking 1960s television series.

The USS Enterprise was the starship in the sci-fi show whose mission was to "go boldly where no man has gone before."

Celestis said the hair samples of the four former presidents were gifted by an anonymous donor and were accompanied by certificates of authenticity.

It said they originally came from the collection of Louis Mushro, a "celebrity hair collector and appraiser" from Michigan who died in 2014.

"These hair samples have been in a climate-controlled facility for several years in preparation for this mission," Celestis said in a statement.

"By adding the DNA of these American icons to Enterprise, we establish a precursor for future human missions, and add to the historical record of human exploration of deep space," Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles Chafer said.

The hair samples and thimble-sized capsules of cremated remains are to be carried into space by a ULA Vulcan rocket scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the next few months on its maider flight.

The ULA rocket is to deploy two satellites, send a private lunar lander to the Moon and then launch the payload of hair samples and remains into deep space.

ULA president and CEO Tory Bruno said it was a "tremendous honor to work with Celestis to launch these four esteemed US presidents on our Vulcan launch vehicle."

Celestis sent some of Roddenberry's ashes into orbit around the Earth on its premier "Founders Flight" rocket launch in 1997.

The Houston company currently charges $4,995 to launch remains into Earth orbit and a voyage into deep space beyond the Moon begins at $12,500.

Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SPACE TRAVEL
NASA, partners clear Axiom's second private astronaut mission crew
Houston TX (SPX) Feb 14, 2023
NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space's second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2). Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the privately funded mission. John Shoffner of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), are members of the inaugural Saudi national ... read more

SPACE TRAVEL
Call opens for ESA's twelfth Earth Explorer

New space capability mapping tool unveiled at the 2023 Avalon Airshow

Umbra agrees to provide Maxar direct access to SAR Constellation

Ozone depletion leads to Antarctic upper-stratospheric warming in winter

SPACE TRAVEL
China to employ BeiDou satellite-based augmentation system in railway survey

GEODNET offers centimeter precision and GNSS corrections for OEMS and Ag Sector

New Galileo service set to deliver 20 cm accuracy

HawkEye 360 to monitor GPS interference in support of the US Space Force

SPACE TRAVEL
Madrid drops tree-culling plan after protest

Hidden Colombia canyon transformed from rebel route to tourist draw

Do forest trees really "talk" through underground fungi

Engineered wood grows stronger while trapping carbon dioxide

SPACE TRAVEL
How a record-breaking copper catalyst converts CO2 into liquid fuels

Biogas produced with waste from apple juice making can minimize use of fossil fuels in industry

Biorefinery uses microbial fuel cell to upcycle resistant plant waste

Emirates announces 'milestone' sustainable fuel flight

SPACE TRAVEL
Perovskites, a 'dirt cheap' alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient

Physicists solve durability issue in next-generation solar cells

Non-fused-ring donors and acceptors boost organic solar cell efficiency to over 14 pecent

Blue Origin unveils "Blue Alchemist" a technology that turns Moon dust into solar cells

SPACE TRAVEL
Machine learning could help kites and gliders to harvest wind energy

Polish MPs vote to make building wind turbines easier

New research shows porpoises not harmed by offshore windfarms

UH professor developing new technologies to improve safety, resiliency of offshore energy systems

SPACE TRAVEL
China to receive first Australian coal shipment in over 2 years

Australia blocks coal mine near Great Barrier Reef

Campaigners launch legal bids against new UK coal mine

Last activists leave German village as coal pit expansion rolls on

SPACE TRAVEL
China's zero-Covid structures take on second lives

Hundreds of retirees protest in China's Wuhan

Texans of Chinese descent fret that 'dreams have been smashed'

Exiled Tibetans place hopes in history

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.