Latest news with #GeneRoddenberry
Vogue
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
#40 NY Profile - Rick Kinsel - Executive Director of the Vilcek Foundation
1) How old are you? I am 58 years old—the same age as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, by Eero Saarinen; the same age as the original Whitney Museum of American Art building on Madison Avenue in New York City by Marcel Breuer; and the same age as the first season of the 'Star Trek' television series by Gene Roddenberry and the iconic holiday classic Chuck Jones' animated adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. 2) What did you want to be when you were a child? The first time I was asked this question was for a homework assignment in grade school. I took it very seriously and thought long and hard. I wanted to be a lighthouse keeper. I was so proud of my answer, and when I stood up in class and explained, my classmates all laughed and thought it was a joke. A lighthouse is the beacon at the edge of the world that leads ships to safe harbor. It is a guiding light discerning safety from danger! As a bonus, the keeper gets to live in and take care of an incredible historic building in a scenic location. My third-grade guidance counselor heard this and wanted me in therapy.
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Ashes of 166 people lost after blunder by firm offering 'funerals in space'
The Exploration Company (TEC) is investigating how the ashes were lost during the mission, attempted to have been completed for the American space burial company Celestis The ashes of more than 150 people have been lost - and are unlikely to be recovered - after a company which promises " funerals in space" suffered a catastrophic glitch. The Nyx Mission Possible had seen a module containing the urns orbit the planet twice in late June. It was supposed to return the objects to Earth and the bereaved families but communication with the capsule was lost during re-entry, and it crashed into the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the 166 human remains, the module also carried plant material and cannabis seeds. The cargo was part of an experiment on the effects of microgravity on the cultivation of the plant, with a focus on future missions to Mars. The mission was carried out by TEC for the American company Celestis, which offers memorial flights to space. Celestis has now conceded "it will not be possible to recover or return the flight capsules" and TEC has apologised to customers who had "entrusted [them] with their cargo". Celestis' service sees families send ashes or DNA samples of people and pets for a posthumous tribute. After orbiting Earth, the capsule returns. A video of key moments from the mission is provided to commemorate "the day your loved one touched the sky," Celestis says. The company, founded in 1994, has already sent the remains of people linked to the science fiction work Star Trek into space, including the series' creator, Gene Roddenberry. But the blunder this week saw communications with the capsule lost at an altitude of 26 km (16 miles). An investigation is underway into the loss of contact, after which the device plunged into the Pacific Ocean. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, TEC said: "From an orbital altitude of 550 km (340 miles), the capsule successfully re-entered in a controlled manner, with communication re-established after maximum warm-up. However, communications were lost at an altitude of 26 km, shortly before the phase preceding parachute deployment." In a previous statement, TEC apologised "to all our customers who entrusted us with their cargo." Charles Chafer, CEO of Celestis, which hired TEC, said this was the first mission in which capsules would return to Earth. He said: "As a result of this unexpected event, we believe it will not be possible to recover or return the flight capsules. We share the families' disappointment and offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust. "We hope families will find some comfort in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey. Launched into space, orbiting the Earth, and now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honorable scattering at sea."
NDTV
23-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Transporter-14 Mission: SpaceX To Launch Capsules Of DNA, Human Remains Into Space
SpaceX is set to launch the Transporter-14 rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday (June 23), carrying capsules containing DNA samples and cremated remains from people around the world, reported. The samples will be onboard the Perseverance Flight, which is a project by Celestis, a Houston-based company, that offers a unique way to honour loved ones. The Perseverance Flight will carry more than 150 capsules with samples. The company said that after reaching space, the capsules will return to Earth aboard their recovery vehicle. The memorial capsules will land safely in the Pacific Ocean, where they will be recovered and returned to the family as a "lasting tribute" to their loved one's journey among the stars. The flight will travel at 17,000 miles per hour and achieve Low Earth Orbit after its launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It will complete two to three full orbits around Earth before gently re-entering the atmosphere. The development highlights the trend of space burial, which has happened in the past. Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, was the first person to have his remains buried in space in 1992. Eugene Merle Shoemaker, a renowned astronaut, was the first person to have his remains buried on the Moon. Timothy Leary, a psychologist and philosopher, also had his remains launched into space. In an X post, SpaceX updated that the launch date was changed from Sunday to Monday due to unfavourable weather. Due to unfavorable weather, now targeting Monday, June 23 for launch of the Transporter-14 mission from California → — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 22, 2025 Celestis announced that it has entered into a new launch service in collaboration with The Exploration Company (TEC) - a European spacecraft manufacturer. "Celestis is pleased to offer a new type of Earth Rise mission, thanks to The Exploration Company," Charles Chafer, the company's co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Our participants' capsules will orbit the Earth and return via the Mission Possible capsule, creating a spectacular liftoff and recovery experience." What is space burial, and what are the common methods to do it? The space burial is a unique way to honour the loved ones by launching cremated remains into space. Earth Orbit: Remains are launched into orbit around the Earth, where they stay for some time before burning up upon re-entry. Moon Burial: Remains are taken to the lunar surface, providing a lasting tribute. Deep Space: Remains are launched into deep space, travelling beyond the solar system. Suborbital Flights: Short flights that cross the boundary of space without reaching orbital velocity, often returning to Earth.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SpaceX's Transporter 14 launch will carry more than 150 capsules of DNA, human remains
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Celestis has been a pioneering force in space-burial services since 1994. The Houston-based company has sent the DNA and other remains of loved ones, pets and celebrities into outer space on a series of missions using a variety of rockets, including United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur. Such vehicles have carried the cremated remains and/or DNA samples of a number of "Star Trek" legends, including Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry and James "Scotty" Doohan. Celestis has also helped fly "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" visual effects legend Douglas Trumbull and the symbolic remains of four former U.S. presidents: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, aboard last year's deep-space "Enterprise Flight." Now, Celestis has announced that it has entered into a new launch services collaboration with European spacecraft manufacturer The Exploration Company (TEC). TEC will host a special Celestis Memorial Spaceflight payload on its upcoming "Mission Possible" flight, which is slated to blast off atop a Falcon 9 rocket on SpaceX's Transporter 14 rideshare mission on Monday (June 23) at 5:18 p.m. EDT (2118 GMT) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Perseverance Flight will carry over 150 flight capsules containing cremated remains and DNA samples from customers around the globe. It will be TEC's second demonstrator prior to the inaugural mission of its Nyx Earth orbital launch vehicle, which is scheduled to lift off and dock with the International Space Station sometime in 2028. Mission Possible will mark the first time that a TEC spacecraft hauls customer payloads to orbit. According to Celestis, Perseverance will reach low Earth orbit and complete two or three circuits of our planet before reentering the atmosphere. The memorial capsules will then splash down in the Pacific Ocean, to be recovered and returned to clients as cherished keepsakes. This will be Celestis' 12th such "Earth Rise" flight, and its 25th space mission overall. "Celestis is pleased to offer a new type of Earth Rise mission, thanks to The Exploration Company," Charles Chafer, the company's co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Our participants' capsules will orbit the Earth and return via the Mission Possible capsule, creating a spectacular liftoff and recovery experience." Celestis will also be creating history, making three-year-old Matteo Barth the youngest German (and youngest European overall) to send his DNA into space. Inside TEC's Mission Possible capsule, the child will symbolically join Dieter Barth, his late grandfather, when they're launched, in honor of the older man's lifelong interest in space and exploration. Editor's note: This article was updated on June 22 at 5:10 p.m. EDT to note the change of launch dates to Monday, June 23, 2025.
