In the past, people buried their dead pets in the backyard or flushed them down the toilet. Soon they'll be able to send them into space — for a hefty price. Celestis Pets will transport the cremated remains of your pooch, kitty, iguana, ferret or whatever into the cosmos for the low price of $995. That is for a quick jaunt into zero gravity; it costs $4,995 to get Spot into orbit around the Earth and $12,500 to get to the moon. To clarify, this is not a "Wrath of Khan" situation where they shoot a casket containing the entire body of your pet into space like (extremely late spoiler alert) Spock. Instead, Celestis will send up one gram of your cremated pet's remains or a lock of hair aboard a space-bound rocket. The pet service starts in the fall. Want to join your cat in the cold, dark vacuum of space? Don't worry, the company already provides the same service for humans.
IN-DEPTH
- How NASA Sold the Moon, and Why It Can't Seem to Sell Mars
- Virgin Galactic Space Tourists Shed Pounds (and Fears) on Zero-G Flight
SOCIAL
-- Keith Wagstaff