(Reuters) – Gerry and Elizabeth Paulus love taking road trips across the United States, and soon they’ll be preparing for what they call their “ultimate road trip” – one that will take them to deep space.
The Mesa, Arizona couple will send their DNA into space in the upcoming Enterprise mission launched by Celestis, a space burial company based in Houston, Texas.
“It helps us think about the future and even though we won’t be there physically, we’ll be a small part of it in some way and that really makes me smile,” said Elizabeth Paulus.
While space burials aren’t a new concept, the company is preparing for their first deep space flight, orbiting the sun indefinitely.
The flight will carry approximately 196 capsules, including the ashes or DNA of notable individuals such as Gene Roddenberry, creator of “Star Trek,” along with the remains of actors James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols, who starred in the science fiction saga.
Presidents George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy will also be represented.
“That repository goes 200 million miles into space,” said Colby Youngblood, president of Celestis. “It will be our civilization’s first … repository in the universe.”
(Reporting by Liliana Salgado and Evan GarcÃa; Written by Mark Porter)
