DNA of Four Former Presidents to Be Launched Into Deep Space

The DNA of four former presidents is set to be blasted off into the cosmos as the ultimate memorial.

Celestis, a leading company in space burials, is taking the helm on the project to honor George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan sending their genetic information to space aboard its Enterprise Flight.

Some of pop culture's favorite space travelers from Star Trek are also to be honored: Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett Rodenberry, Nichelle Nichols, and more. The 2001: A Space Odyssey VFX master Douglas Trumbull's remains will also be making the trip.

"Beyond establishing the first human outpost in deep space, the answers are rooted in possible discovery and off-world genetic and data storage," the company wrote in a blog post.

The rocket is expected to carry the collected DNA to deep space — about 93 million miles to 186 million miles away from Earth, and the company said part of their goal for the launch of the remains is to expand the presence of humanity throughout the cosmos. 

"The overarching goal of Celestis is to assist human expansion throughout the solar system. By adding the DNA of these American icons to Enterprise, we establish a precursor for future human missions, and add to the historical record of human exploration of deep space," said Charles M. Chafer, co-founder and CEO of Celestis.

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