by Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine moon lander has successfully launched into space on a brand-new rocket and will attempt to touch down on the lunar surface in February.
But the lander's payload includes human remains, which leaders of the Navajo Nation claim is "tantamount to desecration."
Two companies — Celestis and Elysium Space — have also sent cremated human remains, or "cremains," in the lander, as well as other forms of human DNA.
The Celestis payload in the lander includes the cremains of around 40 people including science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
The company has also launched a separate payload on board ULA's Vulcan rocket, which contains the remains of more than 200 people as well as DNA from four former U.S. presidents, which will be deployed beyond the moon to drift in space.
Source
But the lander's payload includes human remains, which leaders of the Navajo Nation claim is "tantamount to desecration."
Two companies — Celestis and Elysium Space — have also sent cremated human remains, or "cremains," in the lander, as well as other forms of human DNA.
The Celestis payload in the lander includes the cremains of around 40 people including science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
The company has also launched a separate payload on board ULA's Vulcan rocket, which contains the remains of more than 200 people as well as DNA from four former U.S. presidents, which will be deployed beyond the moon to drift in space.
Source
