Kids are excited by the many prospects and possibilities of what to do when they grow up. Now we have a few interesting options on what to do when we die. The latest trend is sending your remains into space for a last glorious goodbye.
You do not even need to be a millionaire or get good grades to venture into the final frontier. As the astronomer Carl Sagan said: “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies was made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star-stuff.” So it would seem only fitting to return from where we came.
The startup company Elysium Space is now making this possible for ordinary people. For $1,990, it will send a portion of your ashes into space. Thomas Civeit, a former NASA engineer, is the CEO of the startup and he is banking on celebrities to boost his brand. Famous personalities like Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, astronaut Gordon Cooper, actor James Doohan (Scotty in the original Star Trek) all want a unique ending to their already colorful lives. Elysium might have the solution.
“How does it work? You receive a kit containing a custom ash capsule to collect a cremated remains sample. After you ship it back to us, we place your capsule in the Elysium spacecraft that will be launched into space,” the Elysium’s website states.
The ashes will orbit our planet for several months before re-entering the atmosphere finally “blazing as a shooting star.” The launch can be viewed from areas around the Kennedy Space Center and the Canaveral Air Station in Florida. The first flight is scheduled for the summer of 2014.
Relatives can follow the trip round the planet using a free mobile app developed by the company. There is also an option of engraving your personal message on the spacecraft’s metal plates for remembrance.
In the future, Civeit plans to go further with his space odyssey, offering services to send the ashes to the moon, deep space or even into the sun.
Besides Elysium, there are other companies who have similar offerings. One is Celestis which has been around for quite a while. Their charges are comparatively expensive, costing $4,995 for the ashes’ space flight. For $12,500, however, Celestis already offers moon and deep space launches.
If Space doesn’t suit you, there are other unique ways to say goodbye
• Reef Balls: Be a part of a living reef eco-system. The reef ball is a steel sphere with the person’s cremated remains, placed in the ocean permanently.
• Diamonds: Transform the carbon ashes into diamond jewelry.
• Happier farewells include mixing ashes with firework powders and lighting it up. Or mixing it with paint and creating an ever-lasting portrait of your loved one.
Elysium, meaning afterlife in Greek could be viable option in the future considering fewer land resources and other environmental factors. It’s certainly not expensive compared to the rising funeral costs.
You could also visit space while still alive, but it is going to cost you. A trip with Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo sells for $250,000.
If you can’t afford that but still want to leave Earth and start your space adventure, there is an option to try out for a one way trip to Mars with the Dutch non-profit Mars One. It launches in 2022.
Naveen Athrappully is a business consultant and freelance writer focusing on content development for technology companies. Contact him at [email protected]
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