Star Trek’s Scotty’s ashes will be lifting off this morning on this mornings Falcon 9 launch. Beam me up Scotty!
Paying a minimum of $2,995 to Celestis, Doohan and 307 other people’s capsules will be launched from the Falcon 9 rocket nine minutes into the flight.
Once there Doohans capsule will begin a decaying orbit of the Earth that will last between 10 to 240 years, ‘until it reenters the atmosphere, harmlessly vapourising like a shooting star.’
Because a cremated person’s ashes weigh up to eight pounds, the cost of sending them all into space would be prohibitive, that is why small one or seven gram capsules are used according to Good Morning America.
It is also the reason why portions of Doohan’s ashes still remain after the 2008 mishap in the $8.5 million Falcon 1 rocket.