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\nOTD In Space - April 21: 1st Space Funeral Launches On 'Founders Flight'\n

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\nOn April 21, 1997, the cremated remains of 24 people were launched into space in the first-ever space funeral. One of those people was Gene Roddenberry, the creator of \"Star Trek.\" Other notable people on board included the physicist and...\nOn April 21, 1997, the cremated remains of 24 people were launched into space in the first-ever space funeral. One of those people was Gene Roddenberry, the creator of \"Star Trek.\" Other notable people on board included the physicist and space exploration activist Gerard O'Neill, the German rocket scientist Krafft Ehricke, and Timothy Leary, a psychologist who became famous for his research on psychedelic drugs. These people's remains were sent to space via a company called Celestis, which charges thousands of dollars for these \"memorial spaceflights.\" It only launches small samples of the cremated remains, because launching all of it would be way more expensive. The maiden voyage was named the Founders Flight, and it was air-launched on a Pegasus rocket. The capsule containing the remains orbited Earth for about 5 years before burning up in the atmosphere.\n
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Resource Details

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Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
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Media Length
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0:58
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Grade
3rd - Higher Ed
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Subjects
Science
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Media Type
Instructional Videos
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Source:
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\nFuture Publishing - Space.com\n\n
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Date
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2025
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Language
English
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Audiences
For Teacher Use
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Fine Print: Educational Use
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space, facts
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news, spaceflight, did you know, timothy leary, gene roddenberry, april 21, knowledge, space.com, otd in space, on this day in space, otdis, founders flight, krafft ehricke, gerard o'neill, 1st space funeral, celestis, pegasus rocket, videosyndication, videoelephant, cremated remains, remains, launched, people
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