In one of the most bizarre news to have come up in regards to space and humans exploring the depths of the universe, an 86-year-old physics professor is sending his DNA to the Moon in the hopes that aliens will find it someday and clone him.
Celestis, a Texas-based space company, has been engaged in the unique practice of launching cremated remains into orbit since 1997. Notable figures like “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and physicist Gerard O’Neill, known for the O’Neill cylinder space habitat design, were among the first to have their ashes sent into Earth’s orbit.
Motivated by various reasons, the company’s clientele opts for these space memorials. The New York Times they recently featured seven individuals who chose Celestis for their final cosmic resting place. Among them is 86-year-old physics professor Kenneth Ohm, who is taking an unconventional approach by sending his cremated ashes and DNA to the Moon’s south pole in an upcoming Celestis mission.
Ohm, displaying a free-spirited attitude, envisions the possibility of future civilizations encountering his DNA, humorously suggesting scenarios like an “intergalactic zoo with a Ken Ohm in a cage” or a “swarm of thousands of reconstituted Ken Ohms spreading across the universe.” He acknowledges the uncertainty of these prospects with a lighthearted perspective.
While Ohm’s ideas may sound whimsical and reminiscent of science fiction, preserving DNA samples to inspect future civilizations, whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial, has a certain rationality. Cloning animals using DNA has already been achieved, and although cloning humans poses ethical and moral challenges, it is not entirely distant from the realm of science fiction.
Other individuals featured in the NYT article have more sentimental motivations for their space burials. For instance, NYC firefighter Daniel Conlisk desires to have his remains sent into space alongside his wife, who has been battling cancer. Aerospace engineer Jeffrey Woytach, inspired by watching the Apollo missions, wishes to have some of his ashes reach the lunar surface.
As for Celestis’ lunar plans, the company’s first “lunar memorial service,” the NASA Lunar Prospector mission, occurred in 1998. The Tranquility Memorial spaceflight, a lunar follow-up in collaboration with Astrobotic and the Peregrine lunar lander, is closed for reservations with no official launch date. The mission is intended to land in the northeastern part of the moon after being launched by the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is scheduled to complete its maiden test flight on Christmas Eve this year.
According to Celestis, the memorial capsules carrying cremated remains and DNA will remain on the lunar surface as a tribute to those who dared to reach for the stars.
