Late Astronauts Fly In Space Without Medical Certificate

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:35:42 -0500, "JohnH"
wrote in ::


I would say that sending him
to Jupiter is appropriate, enlightened, and the highest honor".

I would think a true scientist would have considered it a rather useless
payload which may have displaced a useful experiment (unless of course the
experiment was to examine the effects of interplanetary space travel on
ashes)


Ah! The voice of reason rises above the clamor of the superstitious
multitudes.

Don't forget, it is our tax dollars which enable this dubious assault
on rational behavior.

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

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?

Give it up Larry. People are so used to things like maudlin death rituals
(while the death companies make massive profits) that they are beyond
rational thought.

What's worse it the arrogance of people to demand real estate to be
permanently allocated to their "memory". I say if they can continue to work
and pay taxes for it, fine.

On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:03:02 -0500, "JohnH"
wrote in ::

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?

Give it up Larry. People are so used to things like maudlin death rituals
(while the death companies make massive profits) that they are beyond
rational thought.

It's enough to cause one to lose faith in the rational judgment of his
fellow men, upon which one of the tenets of due process rests: jury
trials.

What's worse it the arrogance of people to demand real estate to be
permanently allocated to their "memory".

It's worse than that. Upon what legal precept does the right of those
selling the right to name a star rest?

I say if they can continue to work and pay taxes for it, fine.

I suppose it stands as proof of David Hannum's theorem*. :-)


* http://www.sniggle.net/barnum.php

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:26:41 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 11:28:52 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote in
::

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
. ..
What is behind the bizarre practice of launching capsules containing
the burnt human remains of celebrities into space? Isn't this
ghoulish practice just a bit beneath the dignity of science?

Why should science and ceremony be mutually exclusive? Especially when the
ceremony is directed related to the science?

It seems to unenlightened, medieval and superstitious.


Not really. I've been trying to get rid of my dearly departed
mother's ashes. None of the other kids want any part of her.

Mike Weller

Oh, except for her money.

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
Ah! The voice of reason rises above the clamor of the superstitious
multitudes.

And yet, you have still failed to describe what is "superstitious" about the
whole thing. Odd. Frankly, calling something a name does not make it so,
any more than claiming Iraq has WMD makes it so. Surprising to see you
engage in the very tactics you railed against in the not-so-distant past.

Don't forget, it is our tax dollars which enable this dubious assault
on rational behavior.

So far, all you've posted information about is a commercial enterprise. Tax
dollars are no more used for that than they are for any number of other
components of our transportation infrastructure, including aviation.

Pete

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...nh_launch.html
Riding aboard the NASA spacecraft are ashes of the late astronomer
Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the planet in 1930 at the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I must confess, I don't understand the reasoning behind sending the
ashes of the discoverer of Pluto aboard a spacecraft.

Um...I guess you missed the text that reads "who discovered the planet".

I see absolutely no reason that science needs to be completely devoid of all
human influence. Sentimentalism is just as valid a reason for doing
something as anything else, IMHO. This newsgroup is *littered* with
sentimental tributes and comments about aviation, and yet you never saw a
need to comment on *those* (when your comments would have actually been ON
TOPIC, as opposed to this thread which is decidedly NOT on topic).

And it's NOT "unenlightened", it's NOT "medieval", and it's NOT
"superstitious". It's just about making an acknowledgement to human needs
and desires.

Frankly, I find it fairly "unenlightened" for a person to go around
pretending that rituals in memory of the dead have no useful purpose for
humanity.

Pete

On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:04:09 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote in
::

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
Ah! The voice of reason rises above the clamor of the superstitious
multitudes.

And yet, you have still failed to describe what is "superstitious" about the
whole thing. Odd. Frankly, calling something a name does not make it so,
any more than claiming Iraq has WMD makes it so. Surprising to see you
engage in the very tactics you railed against in the not-so-distant past.

Okay. Perhaps irrational sentimentalism and maudlin emotionalism
(although I much prefer voodoo talisman) might better characterize the
practice of placing incinerated human remains aboard an otherwise
extremely clean (sterile?) spacecraft.

Don't forget, it is our tax dollars which enable this dubious assault
on rational behavior.

So far, all you've posted information about is a commercial enterprise.

As I said previously, the human ashes are aboard NASA's Pluto mission.
One doesn't expect NASA to be as smarmy as those would bilk the
unwashed of their hard earned cash in the name of some sort of
other-worldly 'memorial'; how can it qualify as a memorial if it is
off planet? Who will be reminded?

On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:12:22 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote in
::

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...nh_launch.html
Riding aboard the NASA spacecraft are ashes of the late astronomer
Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the planet in 1930 at the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I must confess, I don't understand the reasoning behind sending the
ashes of the discoverer of Pluto aboard a spacecraft.

Um...I guess you missed the text that reads "who discovered the planet".

No. I'm aware of that.

Why do you find that phrase significant justification for launching
incinerated human remains into space aboard a publicly funded
scientific mission?

I see absolutely no reason that science needs to be completely devoid of all
human influence. Sentimentalism is just as valid a reason for doing
something as anything else, IMHO.

Really? I much prefer to separate objective and subjective rationale.
Imagine the impact of permitting emotionalism guide your operation of
an automobile. It's inappropriate if the intent is to arrive safely
at your destination.

As a fellow pilot, you are not afforded the luxury of indulging
emotional and sentimental feelings while performing the requirements
of your flight missions. Imagine the outcome if you were to say, I
really love the sight of cumulonimbus clouds; let's get a closer look.
This newsgroup is *littered* with
sentimental tributes and comments about aviation, and yet you never saw a
need to comment on *those* (when your comments would have actually been ON
TOPIC, as opposed to this thread which is decidedly NOT on topic).

I'm not paying for the comments you mention, but we are all paying for
NASA's decision to include incinerated human remains aboard this
mission to Pluto. What will NASA do if the discoverer of the next
planet to which they decide to send a spacecraft has chosen not to be
cremated? Will they send rotten human flesh into space at our
expense? Where will this dubious practice lead?

This whole concept of flying ashes sets a bad precedent, IMO.

I suppose you're right about the subject being off-topic, as the
remains are clearly flying as a passenger, not piloting. :-)

And it's NOT "unenlightened", it's NOT "medieval", and it's NOT
"superstitious". It's just about making an acknowledgement to human needs
and desires.

If I have no such need nor desire, does that make me less human? Isn't
it just a little presumptuous on the part of the NASA decision maker?

If pilots routinely made such concessions to such emotional desires,
they'd be poorer pilots, IMO.

Frankly, I find it fairly "unenlightened" for a person to go around
pretending that rituals in memory of the dead have no useful purpose for
humanity.

If you had read my previous article in this thread Message-ID:
, you'd know I made no
such pretence. I guess you missed that.... :-)

Frankly, I find it fairly "unenlightened" for a person to go around
pretending that rituals in memory of the dead have no useful purpose
for humanity.

Maybe we can all hold hands around the spacecraft and have a sun dance to
keep the rain gods away to assure good weather for the launch.
OOGIDABOOGIDA!

Really, firing ashes into the sky isn't going to do a thing for humanity.
Using the space for a time capsule might though.