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From: fisher@dvinci.DEC (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, DTN 231-4108)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Space Burial
Message-ID: <407@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 31-Jan-85 09:22:55 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.407
Posted: Thu Jan 31 09:22:55 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Feb-85 21:41:50 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 30

<for the space burial ground>

> ...a new venture for Space Services Inc.: Space Burial

There were more details in the local paper:  It is not SSI who is running this
venture but rather a company (whose name I forget) which include former
astronaut Deke Slayton.  They have signed a contract with SSI for the later
to provide the launch services.  The cremains will be orbited in the VanAllen
radiation belt, presumably to avoid taking up valuable "real estate" since 
that region is not a particularly friendly to spacecraft with active 
electronics. 

One feature of the service is that the orbiting capsule will be made of highly
reflective material, so that berieved friends and relatives can look up in the
sky at the right time at night and see Uncle Joe passing overhead. 

The company is also considering (higher priced) services to allow ones cremains
to be sent to other further away places.  I don't know if SSI can provide
solar system escape velocity services, but the article talked about Mars
(solar orbit at the same distance from the sun as?)

Personally, I hope to get into space before I croak, and I don't really give a
whit what happens to my cremains after it's all over!

Burns


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