It was a historic moment for the United States recently – the first US Moon landing in decades. Onboard the NASA spacecraft, the Orion capsule, there was much more than just science, however; human remains were on board to make the journey beyond our world.
The March 18 flight, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, carried a cremated sample of remains from 15 different people. While the US human remains have been sent into space before, this marked the first time that a portion of a person’s remains was successfully sent to the Moon’s surface.
In addition to the special cargo, the 8 hour mission was filled with everyday experiments such as measuring electric fields within the Saturn system and photographing the Earth’s horizon. Of course, part of the mission was dedicated to studying the human remains, conducting tests to trace the elements within them. The end result would be an in-depth look at how a human body would behave in a microgravity environment.
Unfortunately, the flight was not without its set of difficulties. The capsule’s temperature got too high during re-entry, and they were forced to disable a planned autopilot system. This change of plans resulted in the Orion capsule burning through more fuel than was expected, and its landing site was shifted a few miles off target. Despite the extra challenges, the capsule was able to make a successful orbital re-entry and subsequent splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
After their successful return to Earth, the human remains were given a proper burial at the United States Air Force Academy cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and were much more than just medical samples. The cremation urns contained the cremated remains of a father, a son, a daughter, a military veteran, and a few former astronauts.
“It is a tremendous honor to be able to go to space on behalf of all those who wish to pursue their dreams of reaching the stars,” said Dr. Ryan Mueller, who was part of the team of researchers studying the human remains. “We plan to use the findings to better understand how the human body functions in space and on the Moon.”
This historic mission marked the US’ return to lunar exploration after nearly 50 years and showed that even when death has taken away our loved ones, they still can be part of something far greater than us. It was a mission of hope and of unity. It was a mission of science and of dreams.
