Next time a loved one passes on, don’t cast his or her ashes out to sea, or let the wind carry them over a mountain range (so passé). Instead, SHOOT THEM INTO SPACE. That’s a thing now.
Elysium Space, a privately held company based in San Francisco, plans to offer the dead a modern, celestial approach to the antiquated subterranean funeral. For two grand, you can send a portion of your loved-one’s ashes into the great unknown (for a little while anyway).
The company currently plans to shoot about 100 bucket-kickers into space on a single satellite ride next year. This satellite, loaded down with dead-folk dust, will orbit the planet for several months (up to a year) before it re-enters the atmosphere in a blaze of fiery memorial. Considering that the average funeral is more than $5,000, the ashy-space-urn-fireball idea is a bargain.
The name Elysium comes from Greek mythology. A realm in the afterlife separate from Hades, Elysium is where heroes, or those chosen by the gods, would go to enjoy an afterlife of happiness and indulgence. Sort of like Valhalla, but with no fighting…and no Vikings.
Would you like your ashes shot into space, then burned up again when they re-enter the earth’s atmosphere? Is this service a novelty, or a dignified way to honor the dead? You can share your thoughts on our wall at facebook.com/interworks.