DNA samples from Presidents George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy are set to be launched into deep space Dec. 24 on a Celestis Memorial Spaceflight, Celestis announcd Tuesday.
The project is being carried out in conjunction with the United Space Alliance (ULA).
❗️The launch time for the upcoming Enterprise and Tranquility Flights has been announced! United Launch Alliance @ulalaunch has scheduled launch for 1:49am on December 24th.
📍*Note: this occurs during the night between the 23rd and 24th. NOT the night before Christmas. pic.twitter.com/8s3AAme4z9
— Celestis, Inc. 🚀 Memorial Spaceflights (@celestisflights) December 2, 2023
The spaceflight, named “Enterprise” as a reference to “Star Trek,” will not only carry DNA and hair samples from the late Presidents, but will also contain DNA samples from “Star Trek” Creator Gene Roddenberry, his wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and “Star Trek” actors Nichelle Nichols and DeForest Kelley. The craft will also carry “Star Trek” actor James Doohan’s ashes into space.
The flight will also contain the remains of 150 others who have been placed on the flight by loved ones as a memorial. The samples will be on a ULA Vulcan Centaur Rocket, according to The Hill. (RELATED: NASA Scientists Discover Record-Breaking ‘Behemoth’ Black Hole)
“[“Enterprise”] will establish a solar orbit 150 to 300 million miles in deep space, becoming the world’s first true outpost of humanity in the cosmos with its memorial spaceflights …” a Celestis blog post describes. It continues by explaining, “…the DNA of these presidents can tell future civilizations that may settle in deep space more about bygone American leaders and culture, even providing a sort of evolutionary “map” as to how the U.S. started … and flourished ….”