Human burial practices have evolved significantly over centuries, moving from traditional ground interments to modern innovations. Among the most striking contemporary developments is the launch of human cremated remains entirely out of Earth’s atmosphere.
This growing practice allows families to send loved ones into Earth orbit, onto the Moon, or even into deep space aboard conventional rockets.
Origins in Science Fiction
The concept of launching human remains into space using rockets began purely as a fictional idea. Science fiction author Neil R. Jones first proposed the notion in his 1931 novella “The Jameson Satellite,” published in a pulp magazine. Decades later, the concept appeared as a commercial service in a 1965 film and later in a 1977 newspaper article. What started as imagination eventually transformed into reality when private companies began offering memorial spaceflights as secondary payloads.
Maiden Voyages and Historical Milestones
The first space burial took place in October 1992, when a NASA space shuttle carried a sample of creator Gene Roddenberry’s cremated remains into Earth orbit before returning them safely.
A few years later, private companies entered the industry. The inaugural private space burial launched a Pegasus rocket carrying the remains of twenty-four individuals, including Roddenberry and Timothy Leary, into an elliptical orbit around the Earth.
Reaching Extraterrestrial Destinations
Beyond orbiting Earth, memorial spaceflights have reached the lunar surface and deep space. The first Moon burial occurred when a portion of astronomer Eugene Shoemaker’s cremated remains traveled aboard a NASA spacecraft and impacted the lunar south pole.
Other notable missions have sent remains far beyond the solar system. A small sample of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh’s ashes traveled aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, marking the first time human remains escaped the solar system entirely.
A Growing Industry
Today, memorial spaceflight has matured into an active commercial sector. Multiple businesses now regularly coordinate orbital, lunar, and suborbital missions for human clients. Furthermore, the practice has even expanded to include animal remains through specialized pet memorial services.