A spacecraft carrying the means for NASA's first lunar mission since the 1970s was launched into space early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. While many praised this enduring testament to American ingenuity and curiosity, American Indian groups made last-minute complaints about the inactive sailors' long-known destination.
Prior to the launch, the Navajo Nation argued that it would be sacrilegious to release the human remains currently on board the ship onto the lunar surface.
rocket smoke and human ash
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Boeing Defense, Lockheed Martin Space, and Space & Security, serving the Department of Defense and NASA.At 2:18 a.m. Monday, ULA
It started successfully Next generation Vulcan Centaur rocket.
The Vulcan Centaur carried two payloads into space. Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander headed to the Moon as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Service Program. It is also known as the Celestis Memorial Space Flight Deep Space Voyager mission.
enterprise flight. Both payloads contain human remains.
The 6-foot by 8-foot Peregrine lander, assembled in Pittsburgh, is loaded with 20 payloads from seven countries and 16 commercial customers. Most importantly, it contains NASA equipment for scientific missions.
like A laser retroreflector array to pinpoint the lander's location. Neutron spectrometer system to detect water on the moon's surface. and a linear energy transfer spectrometer to collect information about lunar radiation and solar phenomena.
“The first CLPS launch sent a payload on its way to the Moon. This is a huge leap forward for humanity as we prepare to return to the Moon's surface for the first time in more than half a century.”
Said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The Peregrine lander separated from the rocket about 50 minutes after liftoff, about 500 kilometers above Earth. It is currently on its way to its lunar destination and is scheduled to arrive on February 23rd.
“Peregrine powered up, received a signal with Earth, and is now moving through space on its way to the Moon,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton.
Said In a statement. “These successes bring seven countries one step closer to landing on the moon, six of which have never been there before.”
Meanwhile, Enterprise Flight will be carried beyond the Earth-Moon system by the Centaur upper stage. The Enterprise flight contains the cremated remains or DNA of hundreds of people, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Roddenberry. 'Star Trek' actors DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, and them
heroic World War II Veteran co-star James Doohan. Phil Chapman, Apollo 14 mission scientist. and the painter Louise Claiborne Caisch.
Unlike the 268 titanium capsules slated to drift aimlessly through space, the more than 60 capsules containing DNA and cremated remains will be “a tribute to the brave souls who never stopped reaching for Earth.” “Performers,” to be jettisoned on the northeastern part of the moon by the Hayabusa lander as a permanent tribute.
according to Go to the company website.
monthly funeral
Late last week, the largest Indian group in the U.S. launched an uproar with the U.S. Department of Transportation and NASA, unsuccessfully demanding a postponement of the launch, citing violations of their views on the remains.
Navajo Nation President Boo Nygren
I got it. “The sanctity of the moon is deeply embedded in the spirituality and traditions of many Indigenous cultures, including our own,” Friday's statement said.
“Putting human remains on the moon is a grave desecration of this celestial body that our people revere,” Nygren said. “This act violates past agreements and commitments of respect and consultation between NASA and the Navajo Nation. It's a thing,” he wrote.
“As custodians of our culture and traditions, it is our responsibility to voice our grievances when actions are taken that may desecrate sacred spaces and disregard deeply held cultural beliefs. ” continued the Indian leader. “Our request for consultation is rooted in a desire to ensure that our cultural practices, particularly those related to the moon and the treatment of the dead, are respected. The proposal to change it to the Navajo cosmology occupies a sacred place, and the proposal to change it to Navajo cosmology makes it extremely disturbing and unacceptable for our people and many other tribal nations to place human remains. is.”
Looking ahead to the possibility of colonizing the Moon, Nygren said, “The Moon is not the place to put human remains. We urge NASA to act accordingly and protect not only Earth but our sacred sites.” We ask them to cooperate with us to protect their cultural heritage.” ”
In his statement, Nygren did not specify any other asteroids or space regions where human burials might be prohibited.
Celestis CEO Charles Chafer
Said “While we are aware of the concerns expressed by Mr. Nygren, we do not believe they are substantive,” CNN reported.
“We reject claims that our commemorative spaceflight mission desecrates the moon,” Chafer said. “Just as permanent monuments exist on Earth for those who have died and are not considered sacrilege, our lunar monuments should be treated with care and respect and intentionally removed from the lunar surface.” It's not some kind of permanent monument where you launch a flying capsule into the world. It's moving, it's emotional. It's a celebration, the opposite of desecration, a celebration that our participants deserve.”
Astrobotic's John Thornton suggested that they started wrangling over the details of the mission very late, implying that it took about eight years for Nygren to voice his concerns.
“I'm disappointed that this conversation came up at the end of the game,” Thornton told CNN. “I wish we had this story a long time ago. We published the first payload manifest of its kind for our mission in 2015. The second in 2020. We really wanted to We're trying to do the right thing and I hope we can do that.'' Find a good path forward with the Navajo Nation. ”
Joel Kearns, NASA's deputy assistant administrator for exploration, said this is a civilian mission.
“We recognize that some non-NASA commercial payloads may be a cause for concern for some communities, and those communities understand that these missions are commercial. They may not be a U.S. government mission,” Kearns said.
“The fact that American companies are delivering equipment and cargo and payloads to the moon is a whole new industry, a nascent industry, and everyone is learning,” Kearns continued. “We take the concerns expressed by the Navajo Nation very seriously.”
While everyone seems to be taking this concern seriously, Chafer emphasized that “no one owns the moon, and no religion exists.”
“If we take into account the beliefs of the world's many religions, it is very likely that no mission will be approved. Simply put, we do not allow religious beliefs to influence humanity's efforts in space. “And we still never admit it. There are no religious people, and there shouldn't be any. It's a test,” Chafer added.
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June 7th Live Broadcast: Vulcan Cert-1 Flight Ready Fire (FRF)youtube.be
