REMAINS TO ROCKET INTO ORBIT : CULTURAL PIONEERS ON FINAL JOURNEY.Byline: Michelle DeArmond Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. In death as in life, ``Star Trek'' creator Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry, (August 19, 1921 - October 24, 1991) was an American screenwriter and producer. He became best known as the creator of what would become the science fiction universe of Star Trek. and LSD LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide (lī'sûr`jĭk, dī'ĕth`ələmĭd, dī'ĕthəlăm`ĭd), alkaloid synthesized from lysergic acid, which is found in the fungus ergot ( guru Timothy Leary are blazing new trails - this time through space. The ashes of the two pioneers, loaded on a rocket strapped to a jet's wing, began the first leg of an unprecedented journey Sunday. The plane left California for Madrid, Spain. The ashes are expected to be launched into space over the Canary Islands next month. Their remains were among those of 24 people, packed in lipstick-sized capsules and loaded into a metal canister by the newly formed Houston-based Celestis Inc. The others include space physicist Gerard O'Neill, rocket scientist Rocket Scientist In the world of finance, these are people with science and math degrees who work in the finance field building highly advanced quantitative finance models. These models help banking, insurance and investment firms to price financial instruments. Krafft Ehricke and a 4-year-old Japanese boy. Their families each paid $4,800 for the service, which included a 25-character inscription of their choice on the small capsule. The enterprising venture seemed a perfect final trip for Roddenberry and Leary. Roddenberry sought to take TV viewers and filmgoers where ``no one has gone before'' and Leary urged people to alter their consciousness through a different kind of trip. Roddenberry died in 1991 and was cremated, but his wife wasn't sure what to do with his remains and neither scattered nor buried them. NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. took a vial of the ashes on a space shuttle mission. When Celestis approached her, she agreed to the space funeral. ``He would be thrilled. He would be absolutely thrilled,'' she said. Leary, who was known for his psychedelic drug use and counterculture coun·ter·cul·ture n. A culture, especially of young people, with values or lifestyles in opposition to those of the established culture. coun philosophy, learned of the idea shortly before his death at age 75 last year. He believed he had found the perfect exit to a bizarre and often controversial life. Celestis sent a company videotape and their kit, which includes a beaker beaker /beak·er/ (bek´er) a glass cup, usually with a lip for pouring, used by chemists and pharmacists. beaker a round laboratory vessel of various materials, usually with parallel sides and often with a pouring spout. , a funnel, a small scoop and two test tube-sized containers - one as a backup - designed to hold 7 grams of ashes. ``(Leary) jumped up and down in his wheelchair with excitement,'' said Carol Rosin, a longtime friend. ``He said, `Finally, now I will be the light and everyone will know, and finally I'll travel with the other space pioneers.' '' The families will gather for a memorial service in Southern California two weeks after the launch, which was tentatively set for March 11. |
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