United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is undergoing testing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The rocket is scheduled to launch on Monday.
ULAThe Navajo Nation has condemned a Houston company’s plan to send cremated remains to the moon next week, calling it “amount to desecration of this sacred space.”
Navajo Nation President Boo Nygren wants to delay Monday’s launch because it includes a lunar lander carrying cremated remains collected by Houston-based Celestis and San Francisco-based Elysium Space. There is.
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“It is extremely important to emphasize that the moon holds a sacred place in many indigenous cultures, including our own,” Nygren wrote in a Dec. 21 letter to NASA and the Department of Transportation. writing. “We consider it part of our spiritual heritage, an object of respect and reverence.”
Celestis CEO and co-founder Charles M. Chafer said his company’s customers see the mission as “a fitting celebration, the opposite of sacrilege.”
He also said that religion is not considered when approving space missions.
“No one owns the moon, and no religion exists,” Chafer said in a statement. Simply put, we will never let religious beliefs dictate humanity’s approach to space, and religious trials do not and should not exist. ”
Elysium Space could not be reached for comment.
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This is not the first time the Navajo Nation has opposed cremation on the moon. Nygren said the problem arose in the late 1990s, when NASA sent the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into orbit around the moon. At the end of its life, the spacecraft crashed onto the moon’s surface, carrying the cremated remains of planetary geologist Dr. Eugene Shoemaker. Celestis provided those remains.
According to Nygren’s letter, NASA apologized and promised to consult tribes before approving future missions to send human remains to the moon. Nygren argued that NASA has not kept its promises.
NASA is not directly overseeing next week’s mission. Celestis and Elysium Space placed the cremated remains on a lunar lander owned and operated by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology. NASA provided funding and guidance, but is not responsible. This is one of many customers who will be aboard the Peregrine lander, which is scheduled to land on the moon on February 23rd.
The remains will be sent into space on the maiden flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The Vulcan rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida during a time slot beginning at 1:18 a.m. CST.
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“We recognize that some non-NASA commercial payloads may be a cause for concern for some communities,” said Joel, deputy assistant administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Kearns said. “And those communities may not understand that these missions are commercial and not U.S. government missions.”
An intergovernmental meeting involving NASA, the White House and the Department of Transportation will be held with the Navajo Nation on Friday.
“We take concerns like those expressed by the Navajo Nation very seriously,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to have this conversation.”
Nygren responded to NASA in a statement released Thursday, saying both government and private sector space activities should respect the cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs of all communities.
“The Navajo Nation is not opposed to scientific advancement or space exploration,” Nygren said. “We urge NASA to act accordingly and to protect our sacred sites and cultural heritage, not only on Earth but in all areas cherished by our traditions. We ask that you cooperate with us.”
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