Late Astronauts Fly In Space Without Medical Certificate

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.

And finally, just what about this story invokes "science" anyway?

Although I couldn't find the reference, I heard on the News Hour
(PBS), that there will be ashes also flying on NASA's Pluto probe.

Who thinks of this stuff? Who approves it?

It seems to unenlightened, medieval and superstitious.

....as is any respect for the dead. No?

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:15:48 GMT, Jose
wrote in : :

It seems to unenlightened, medieval and superstitious.

...as is any respect for the dead. No?

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.

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".

And honoring Gene Shoemaker (whom I happened to know personally and
professionally) in this way is most certainly =not= "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".

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

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

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)

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
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.

Seems to you. However, rest assured there are plenty of scientists who
still hold to certain "unenlightened, medieval, and superstitious" ways. In
any case, without knowing the underlying motivation for launching a person's
ashes into space, you have no idea whether the behavior is actually
"unenlightened, medieval, and superstitious".

It could just be that the person likes the idea of having their loved one in
space, or it may be that the person is simply respecting the wishes of their
loved one (who themselves may or may not be acting in an "unenlightened,
medieval, and superstitious" way).

Sometimes ceremony is simply for the sake of ceremony. A ritual that helps
comfort an individual, through the act of the ritual itself, rather than
some greater significance.

Seems to me you're being awfully judgmental about the whole thing. Are you
against burials generally as well? How about the practice of scattering
ashes from airplanes? Or boats? Or from cliffs? Do you think that
scientists should be banned from going to church? From having any religious
beliefs whatsoever? Keep in mind that even an athiest holds a religious
conviction: that there is no supreme being, God, whatever you want to call
it.

Just where do YOU draw the line?

And finally, just what about this story invokes "science" anyway?

Although I couldn't find the reference, I heard on the News Hour
(PBS), that there will be ashes also flying on NASA's Pluto probe.

Well, when you have a reference, perhaps that would be a good time to take
up the conversation again. Until then, it seems you're putting the cart
before the horse.

Who thinks of this stuff? Who approves it?

I don't know. Don't care, either.

Pete

"Jose" wrote in message
t...
[...]
And honoring Gene Shoemaker (whom I happened to know personally and
professionally)

Really? Cool!

"JohnH" wrote in message
. ..
I would think a true scientist would have considered it a rather useless
payload which may have displaced a useful experiment

Why should a "true scientist" have absolutely no concept of subjective
pleasure? Should all "true scientists" refrain from ANY act that might be
construed as unproductive?

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)

My bet is someone sitting around said, we have a payload capability of 156
pounds, 3 ounces. The payload came in at 156 pounds and 2 ounces. They
then said (with family's permission) Let's put an ounce of Gene aboard.

There you have it. ;-}
--
Jim in NC

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:31:52 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote in
::

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
....
Although I couldn't find the reference, I heard on the News Hour
(PBS), that there will be ashes also flying on NASA's Pluto probe.

Well, when you have a reference, perhaps that would be a good time to take
up the conversation again.

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. What possible
rational function does that serve?