Latest news with #Celestis
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Science
- New York Post
Dog's ashes among dozens to rocket into orbit this weekend
Bone voyage! A beloved dog named Franz will take his final leap this weekend — into Earth's orbit. The yellow labrador's ashes will be on board the inaugural Perseverance Flight from Texas-based Celestis Inc., which is scheduled to launch around 5:30 p.m. Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, CA. 4 Franz was like a sibling to Elizabeth Moore before he died at age 13 in October 2020. Celestis, Inc Carrying a total of 166 titanium and aluminum capsules, each about a quarter to a half-inch in size and filled with DNA or cremated remains, the 23-foot-tall SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will take two trips around Earth's low orbit at a mind-boggling 17,000 mph. The space flight will last about three hours before the rocket — still carrying its priceless payload — re-enters the atmosphere and lands in the Pacific Ocean somewhere between Alaska and Hawaii, according to Celestis CEO and co-founder Charles Chafer. A recovery ship, which was already out at sea Friday in anticipation of the launch, 'will track the incoming rocket, hopefully get a visual on it, and then go pick it up out of the ocean,' Chafer explained. 4 The Texas-based company Celestis Inc.'s inaugural Perseverance Flight will take two trips around Earth's Lower Orbit after blastoff on Sunday. The capsules will first be transported to Germany, then, within two months, distributed back to the families, who each paid a whopping $3,500 to send their loved one to the stars. While the price to send Franz on the voyage was 'a lot more' than the pooch itself, his owner, Harvin Moore, said with a laugh, it was only fitting for the 'space-fanatic' Moore family to send the pup beyond the stratosphere. 'He was the best dog, just so soft and nice and loved hugs,' recalled Moore, 60, who lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, just outside Austin. 4 The Moore family can't wait to watch their beloved pooch go galactic. Celestis, Inc Franz, who was 13 when he died in October 2020, was more like a sibling than a pet to Moore's now 26-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Quinn, 21, he said. Now, the family can't wait to watch the good boy go galactic. 'The emotional power of being with a group of people who are celebrating the life of a loved one in this way … it's amazing. It's nothing we'll ever forget,' said Moore. 'It's just pure joy.' 4 The Perseverance Flight will carry a total of 166 titanium and aluminum capsules, ranging in size from a quarter to a half-inch, filled with DNA or cremated remains. Celestis, Inc 'Many people whose ashes and DNA are flying are people that always wanted to go to space in their lifetime but were never able to do that. It also helps families move from feelings of grief to joy,' Chafer said. The cremated remains of Wesley Dreyer — an aerospace engineer who helped investigate the cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger's shocking explosion after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986 — will also be on board the Perseverance Flight, as well as DNA from a living, 3-year-old German boy.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NE Ohio man's ashes heading to space in otherworldly tribute: ‘Memorialize him forever'
CLEVELAND (WJW) – From ashes to orbit, a Northeast Ohio man who loved life and especially astronomy is being honored this weekend with an out of this world tribute. Retired Mentor pharmacist Curtis 'Curt' Carson Lau had many interests from whale watching to bonsai trees, but especially astronomy. He was a proud member of the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society and often took trips to see launches at the Kennedy Space Center. 'One time I was talking to him he was like, 'I'm listening to a book on astrophysics,' like what?' said son Griffin Lau. Lau's sons Griffin and Carson hoped to see a launch with him someday, but in July 2024 he passed away suddenly while working out at the gym just weeks after his 70th birthday. Big winner! North Canton man wins top million dollar prize on scratch-off ticket The boys immediately recalled a conversation with their dad about what to do with his cremains. 'We discussed planting a tree or launching a firework,' said Griffin. 'But the main one was getting launched into space… certainly knew very quickly after his passing this was something we wanted to do for him.' The contacted Celestis, Inc. Memorial Spaceflights, co-founded three decades ago by CEO Charles Chafer. 'As a way for people around the world to experience space at a time of loss,' he said. 'It's the coolest memorial service on or off the planet.' Chafer said this weekend's launch will take place out of Vanderberg Space Force Base. The mission is being provided by The Exploration Company, through SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare program. 'We attach ourselves to a satellite or rocket that already has the destination that we're intending,' said Chafer. The weekend launch will be the 25th for the company. They've put 2,500 souls from 35 nations into space. Prices start around $3,400 using a symbolic portion of the cremains or a DNA sample in a small capsule. There are four destination options from the moon to deep, deep space. A popular selection includes orbiting earth for five years and then returning like a celestial body. 'The laws of physics and gravity bring those capsules back into the atmosphere in a container that burns up entirely upon reentry creating a shooting star,' said Chafer. 'Kids just being kids': Officers invite Akron youth to day of fishing, fun The Lau's chose an option where their dad's ashes will orbit the earth traveling 17,000 miles per hour before re-entering the atmosphere. The capsules will then be retrieved off the coast of Alaska and returned to the families about two months after the initial launch. 'Kind of a final gift to him,' said Carson. 'He spent a lot of his later years going down to watch rocket launches and it was like, 'oh, we'll get there at some point as a family,' so in a way this is like the three of us as a family getting to do that and getting to get the capsule back after is just kind of a nice cherry on top.' A proper farewell for a father whose life shone brighter than the stars he so loved. 'We're excited again from a closure release standpoint to have one launch together to help memorialize him further,' said Griffin. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pennsylvania family to send loved one's ashes on memorial flight to space: "I couldn't let his story end"
There are all kinds of ways to honor and celebrate the dead. A growing number of families are turning to outer space and sending the remains of loved ones on memorial space flights. It's a way to cope with grief. With it being Mental Health Awareness Month, a Chester County family said the send-off has softened the heartbreak of losing their teenage son in a tragic accident. Aymee Comas-Diaz had an urn specifically made for her late son, Philip Alexander Diaz. "It says, 'In loving memory of Philip Alexander Diaz, forever in our hearts,'" Aymee Comas-Diaz said. Philip Alexander Diaz was a globe-trotting teenager who loved traveling, and now some of his ashes will soon be circling the earth. "What better way for Phillip to see the world than to get this particular space mission?" Aymee Comas-Diaz said. Philip Alexander Diaz's ashes will be on an unmanned SpaceX rocket carrying different payloads, including one from a company called Celestis that sends remains in special containers. "Philip's gonna be on our Serenity flight, which goes to Earth orbit later this year from Kennedy Space Center," Charles Chafer, the CEO of Celestis, said. Chafer said over the years, they've sent the remains of about 2,000 people into space. "We don't eliminate grief, but we give people closure," Chafer said. "We give people something to smile about at the end of a difficult process." Philip Alexander Diaz was 16 when he died after falling off a balcony during a family vacation on Thanksgiving 2023. "I couldn't let his story end," Aymee Comas-Diaz said. "Phillip was so creative. He had all these plans for the future, all these plans for places he wanted to see." On the upcoming spaceflight that costs about $5,000, Phillip Comas-Diaz's ashes will be in orbit for about five years, with the family being able to track its location. "When it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, it creates such an intense amount of friction that the entire spacecraft burns up, so it's an ashes to ashes service," Chafer said. Aymee Comas-Diaz said the family will be in Florida, along with the loved ones of others on the flight, for a special service before the blast off. "They get to see the biggest candle on the planet lighted for their loved ones," Chafer said. "You immediately see before your eyes the transition from grief to joy and exaltation." The family is relieved his final resting place will be an adventure out of this world. The memorial space flights have different destinations, including sending remains to the moon. Philip Alexander Diaz's family has started a foundation in his name to spread a message of kindness.
