SPACE — For better or worse, the moon is officially open for business. On Monday, January 8, 2024, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander.
Problems arose when the lander carried the Celestis and Elysium warning payloads containing human remains and DNA. Of the two space burial companies, only Elysium Space has the potential to symbolically send human remains to the lunar surface.
Meanwhile, the Celestis time capsule will be sent out of the Earth-moon system to the interstellar system. Celestis Enterprise Flight will include cremated remains and DNA material from various ‘Star Trek’ film icons such as Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, and series creators Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberr.
Then, the current DNA of ULA CEO, Tory Bruno and his wife Rebecca. Then, the remains of a number of former United States Presidents, and many others.
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As reported by Arizona Public Radio on December 28, the President of the Navajo Nation, Buu Nygren, is not happy with the idea of human remains being stored on the moon. Officially, he asked NASA to postpone the launch in January. Because, NASA once promised to notify them before such a warning flight received permission.
In a December 21 letter to NASA and the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), Nygren expressed his thoughts on the troubling issue. “It is important to emphasize that the moon holds a sacred position in many indigenous cultures, including our own,” Nygren wrote.
According to him, the Navajo Nation views the moon as part of its spiritual heritage, a revered object of reverence. “The act of throwing human remains and other objects, which can be considered rubbish, on the moon is tantamount to desecrating this sacred space object,” he said.
Nygren added that the Navajo Nation regrets that NASA and USDOT did not consult with them before allowing the company to transport human remains to the moon.
However, despite strong objections from the Navajo Nation, it was not technically a NASA-run mission. The mission will be the first launch of the Vulcan Centaur as well as the first mission under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. In its program, NASA seeks to use private companies to place its science payloads on the lunar surface.
Also Read: History Today: Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry Buried in Space
Technically, the controversial mission was carried out by Astrobotic Technology as part of NASA’s CLPS. However, NASA does not have jurisdiction over what additional payloads can be included in the mission.
According to Nygren, the problem is like a repeat of the case in the late 1990s, when NASA sent the Lunar Prospector, which carried the remains of former astronaut Eugene Shoemaker to the moon. At the time, Navajo Nation President Albert Hale voiced his objections.
“In response, NASA issued an official apology and promised consultation with tribes before authorizing any further missions carrying human remains to the moon.”
2024-01-04 20:34:00
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