On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:09:47 GMT, Jose
wrote in ::

I would characterize the service held when someone dies as an attempt
to bring closure to the trauma and sorrow felt by the deceased's
family and other survivors.

But launching someone's ashes into space on a government funded
mission seems inappropriate.

There are different ways to bring closure, and different ways to honor
the dead. That =you= don't think one way is appropriate doesn't make
it, as you said earlier, "unenlightened, medieval and superstitious".

So, do you consider the practice of launching the ashes of the
incinerated bodies of humans into space aboard spacecraft funded by
our tax dollars reasonable, enlightened and rational?

And honoring Gene Shoemaker (whom I happened to know personally and
professionally)

(I hope you're not seizing on the death or misfortune of someone else
as an opportunity for your own tasteless self-aggrandizement.)

in this way is most certainly =not= "unenlightened,

Main Entry:enlighten
Pronunciation:in-*l*-t*n, en-
Function:transitive verb
Inflected Form:enlightened ; enlightening \-*l*t-ni*, -t*n-i*\
Date:1587

1 archaic : ILLUMINATE
2 a : to furnish knowledge to : INSTRUCT b : to give spiritual
insight to

medieval

Main Entry:1medieval
Variantr mediaeval \m*-*d*-v*l, mi-, me-, -d*-**-v*l\
Function:adjective
Etymology:New Latin medium aevum Middle Ages
Date:1827

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Middle Ages
2 : extremely outmoded or antiquated
–medievally adverb

and superstitious".

Main Entry:superstition
Pronunciation:*s*-p*r-*sti-sh*n
Function:noun
Etymology:Middle English supersticion, from Middle French, from
Latin superstition-, superstitio, from superstit-, superstes
standing over (as witness or survivor), from super- + stare to
stand more at STAND
Date:13th century

1 a : a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the
unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of
causation b : an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the
supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition
2 : a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

Given the definations of the words above, please support your
contention, that it is not appropriate to characterize the practice of
launching the ashes of the incennerated bodies of humans into space
aboard spacecraft funded by our tax dollars as unenlightened, medieval
and superstitious.

He was a pioneer in the field of asteroid
studies, especially earth crossing asteroids, as well as a fine
planetary scientist and geologist. I would say that sending him to
Jupiter is appropriate, enlightened, and the highest honor".

I don't mean to denegrate the accomplishments of Mr. Shoemaker, but I
fail to see how the launching the ashes of the incennerated bodies of
humans into space aboard spacecraft funded by our tax dollars is
appropriate, enlightened, or any sort of honor. Rather, I see the
practice as intentionally contaminating an antiseptically setral
machine and possibly jepardizing its functioning and possibly
contaminating an environment about which we know presious little as
unacceptably ill conceived.

Would that any of us would merit even close to the same.

Any of us can pay a fee to cleaver eutrapaners who will gladly take
our money and claim they have sent our ashes into space:

Launch Cremated Ashes into Space
www.spaceservicesinc.com Space Services, Inc. Provides a unique
memorial service by launching a small portion of cremated remains
into space for $995.

And while you're at it, you can take advantage of this limited time
offer:

http://www.nameastarspacelaunch.com/
Name A Star for your loved one!
For as little as $19.95



--

The true Axis Of Evil in America is our genius at marketing
coupled with the stupidity of our people. -- Bill Maher