Rocket to the Afterlife

Now here is a fantastic way to memorialize a loved one or yourself; send your ashes to space.  Not a few people have chosen this ultramodern method of human disposal, particularly people of note in some way connected to space, the cosmos or the boundaries of human expression.  Carl Sagan, science writer and advocate of expanding the human horizon to include the rest of the solar system, had his ashes launched into space.  So did Gene Roddenberry (with the remains of his wife) the creator of the Star Trek franchise.  And so did Timothy Leary, a man who could be called a psychonaut for his exploration of human consciousness, now can be called a post-mortem astronaut.  I like this idea.The company leading the way with this stellar funerary practice is Celestis Inc.  

http://www.celestis.com/?src=google/&gclid=CO2woPnD56YCFRg8gwodgzs11g

I like this idea.  We discuss how cemeteries, mounds and cairns can demarcate territories and indicate boundaries of influence for some peoples and cultures in the past; this new type of ritual (can we call this a ritual?) pushes the cultural envelope right off of the planet.  Is this a vain and aggressive insistence of a human need to dominate our surroundings?  Or is it simply extraordinary individuals expressing their extraordinariness in the way that they memorialized?  Can the common ones among us be similarly sent off, or is this mortuary practice for an exclusive elite?  We might find that people of great prominence can possibly get rocketed to the beyond by themselves or accompanied by a loved one, reflecting their wealth and status.  But, say, an 'ordinary millionaire' might have to have their remains launched with a collection of other people's ashes, for purposes of efficiency and cost reduction.  Sounds like a great thesis...  (all rights reserved).  

I am reminded of that crooner's standard 'Fly Me To the Moon'.  I don't think Old Blue Eyes quite had his funeral in mind, though.