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"Scotty" to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket
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Matthew Kruk
May 23, 2012, 2:35:17 AM5/23/12
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/uk-space-memorials-idUSLNE84L00920120522
"Scotty" to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket
Tue, May 22 2012
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - When a privately owned rocket blasts off for
a trial run to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will be carrying
more than food and supplies for the crew.
Tucked into the rocket's second stage are cremated remains of more than 300 hard
core space fans finally making it into the final frontier.
Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on
Tuesday. The company, also known as SpaceX, replaced a faulty engine valve that
triggered a last-second halt to its initial launch attempt on Saturday.
The rocket's prime cargo is a 14.5-foot-tall (4.4-meter-tall) capsule called
Dragon that is filled with food, clothes and supplies for the six astronauts and
cosmonauts living aboard the space station, a $100 billion project of 15
countries that flies about 240 miles (390 km) above Earth.
Falcon 9 carries a secondary payload as well - a container holding
lipstick-tube-sized canisters filled with cremated remains. The deceased include
Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, who died in 2004, and actor James Doohan, who
portrayed chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek
television series. Doohan died in 2005.
If all goes as planned, nine minutes and 49 seconds after liftoff, Dragon's
second stage will separate. It should spend the next year or so circling Earth
as an orbital space memorial before it is pulled back into the atmosphere and
incinerated.
Houston-based Celestis Inc has arranged for cremated remains to be flown in
space 10 times previously, though not all the launches have been successful.
The Earth-orbiting space memorials cost about $3,000. Celestis also arranges for
suborbital flights and launches to the moon. Relatives are invited to attend the
launch and then participate in a group memorial service.
The upcoming Falcon 9 flight is the firm's biggest yet, Charles Chafer, chief
executive officer of parent company Space Services, wrote on his Facebook page.
Ashes from 308 people are aboard, though most are reflights from a failed 2008
launch.
"“With my Celestis team," Chafer posted on his Facebook page Saturday, as the
group gathered to watch the launch attempt. "Ignition, no liftoff ... wow that
was close. Try again Tuesday."
Chafer declined an interview request. "We made a commitment not to comment
publicly until after the mission," he wrote in an email to Reuters.
"Everyone at Celestis wishes Godspeed to SpaceX," he added.
NASA, which is sponsoring SpaceX's test run to the space station, likewise
declined to comment.
"We are aware of the Celestis payload, but we're not commenting on it. It's not
our payload," said NASA spokesman Josh Byerly.
SpaceX did not respond to interview requests.
(Editing by Jane Sutton and Vicki Allen)
© Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. Users may download and print
extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial
use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including
by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered
trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the
world.
"Scotty" to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket
Tue, May 22 2012
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - When a privately owned rocket blasts off for
a trial run to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will be carrying
more than food and supplies for the crew.
Tucked into the rocket's second stage are cremated remains of more than 300 hard
core space fans finally making it into the final frontier.
Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on
Tuesday. The company, also known as SpaceX, replaced a faulty engine valve that
triggered a last-second halt to its initial launch attempt on Saturday.
The rocket's prime cargo is a 14.5-foot-tall (4.4-meter-tall) capsule called
Dragon that is filled with food, clothes and supplies for the six astronauts and
cosmonauts living aboard the space station, a $100 billion project of 15
countries that flies about 240 miles (390 km) above Earth.
Falcon 9 carries a secondary payload as well - a container holding
lipstick-tube-sized canisters filled with cremated remains. The deceased include
Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, who died in 2004, and actor James Doohan, who
portrayed chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek
television series. Doohan died in 2005.
If all goes as planned, nine minutes and 49 seconds after liftoff, Dragon's
second stage will separate. It should spend the next year or so circling Earth
as an orbital space memorial before it is pulled back into the atmosphere and
incinerated.
Houston-based Celestis Inc has arranged for cremated remains to be flown in
space 10 times previously, though not all the launches have been successful.
The Earth-orbiting space memorials cost about $3,000. Celestis also arranges for
suborbital flights and launches to the moon. Relatives are invited to attend the
launch and then participate in a group memorial service.
The upcoming Falcon 9 flight is the firm's biggest yet, Charles Chafer, chief
executive officer of parent company Space Services, wrote on his Facebook page.
Ashes from 308 people are aboard, though most are reflights from a failed 2008
launch.
"“With my Celestis team," Chafer posted on his Facebook page Saturday, as the
group gathered to watch the launch attempt. "Ignition, no liftoff ... wow that
was close. Try again Tuesday."
Chafer declined an interview request. "We made a commitment not to comment
publicly until after the mission," he wrote in an email to Reuters.
"Everyone at Celestis wishes Godspeed to SpaceX," he added.
NASA, which is sponsoring SpaceX's test run to the space station, likewise
declined to comment.
"We are aware of the Celestis payload, but we're not commenting on it. It's not
our payload," said NASA spokesman Josh Byerly.
SpaceX did not respond to interview requests.
(Editing by Jane Sutton and Vicki Allen)
© Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. Users may download and print
extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial
use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including
by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered
trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the
world.
marcus
May 23, 2012, 9:42:15 AM5/23/12
to
On May 23, 2:35 am, "Matthew Kruk" <nob...@home.com> wrote:
> http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/uk-space-memorials-idUSLNE8...
Click below for Star Trek spoof:
http://marccatone.webs.com/thegiantschair.htm
> http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/uk-space-memorials-idUSLNE8...
>
> "Scotty" to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket
> Tue, May 22 2012
> By Irene Klotz
>
> CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - When a privately owned rocket blasts off for
> a trial run to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will be carrying
> more than food and supplies for the crew.
>
> Tucked into the rocket's second stage are cremated remains of more than 300 hard
> core space fans finally making it into the final frontier.
>
> Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from
> Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on
> Tuesday. The company, also known as SpaceX, replaced a faulty engine valve that
> triggered a last-second halt to its initial launch attempt on Saturday.
>
> The rocket's prime cargo is a 14.5-foot-tall (4.4-meter-tall) capsule called
> Dragon that is filled with food, clothes and supplies for the six astronauts and
> cosmonauts living aboard the space station, a $100 billion project of 15
> countries that flies about 240 miles (390 km) above Earth.
>
> Falcon 9 carries a secondary payload as well - a container holding
> lipstick-tube-sized canisters filled with cremated remains. The deceased include
> Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, who died in 2004, and actor James Doohan, who
> portrayed chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek
> television series. Doohan died in 2005.
<snip>
> "Scotty" to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket
> Tue, May 22 2012
> By Irene Klotz
>
> CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - When a privately owned rocket blasts off for
> a trial run to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will be carrying
> more than food and supplies for the crew.
>
> Tucked into the rocket's second stage are cremated remains of more than 300 hard
> core space fans finally making it into the final frontier.
>
> Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from
> Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on
> Tuesday. The company, also known as SpaceX, replaced a faulty engine valve that
> triggered a last-second halt to its initial launch attempt on Saturday.
>
> The rocket's prime cargo is a 14.5-foot-tall (4.4-meter-tall) capsule called
> Dragon that is filled with food, clothes and supplies for the six astronauts and
> cosmonauts living aboard the space station, a $100 billion project of 15
> countries that flies about 240 miles (390 km) above Earth.
>
> Falcon 9 carries a secondary payload as well - a container holding
> lipstick-tube-sized canisters filled with cremated remains. The deceased include
> Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, who died in 2004, and actor James Doohan, who
> portrayed chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek
> television series. Doohan died in 2005.
Click below for Star Trek spoof:
http://marccatone.webs.com/thegiantschair.htm
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