A Return to the Moon

 

 

The Peregrine Lunar Lander (Illustration)

After a period of fifty years, America is on the verge of landing on the moon. On December 11, 1972, Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus-Littrow highlands on the moon. Now, NASA plans a non-human landing on this satellite later this year, using the Peregrine lunar lander.

In co-operation with the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic, the mission aims to deliver twenty-four payloads to the moon. Most will be scientific experiments, but will include commercial payloads as well as cultural messages from various people around the planet.

Originally, the Peregrine mission was scheduled to launch last year, but became rescheduled due to delays caused by the pandemic. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton sees the venture as the first step in creating a sustainable moon delivery market, being the first of many such commercial space missions.

Interestingly, one of the payloads planned for the original launch was a capsule containing the ashes and DNA of the famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. The plan was to deposit it on the moon’s surface. The author, fittingly remembered for classics such as the “Space Odyssey” series and “Profiles of the Future,” is remembered for his passion for space travel. At this time, it is unclear if this plan is part of the up-coming mission or will be postponed to a future one.

This idea is the brainchild of a company call Celestis, based out of Houston, Texas.  It seems that there is a demand for final-resting places on the moon. While full burials are not possible at this time, the company has many clients interested in having small capsules containing ashes and DNA of either themselves or their loved ones interred on the moon.

As the company’s CEO Charles Chafer told Space.com, “our Luna Service is among the most popular, as it affords families and friends the permanence of an off-planet service and provides a constant reminder in the night sky of a loved one’s final resting place.”

Amen.

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love Inc. (www.bookswelove.com)