In 1999 NASA requested Celestis to assist the colleagues and loved ones of renowned astronomer Dr. Eugene Shoemaker in placing a portion of his cremated remains aboard the NASA Lunar Prospector mission.

On July 31, 1999, at the completion of the Lunar Prospector's mission, the spacecraft was intentionally impacted into the Moon's South Pole, making Dr. Shoemaker the first human inhabitant to be laid to rest on another celestial body. NASA called this memorial "a special honor for a special human being."

Odyssey Moon is pleased to include Celestis among its commercial customers and honors the trust of Celestis and the families. "The thrill and joy Celestis provides touched me personally when my dear friend and International Space University co-founder Todd Hawley reached his dream of spaceflight in 1997," said Dr. Robert Richards, CEO of Odyssey Moon.

"We welcome the opportunity to support Celestis and continue their uniquely compelling service to the Moon."

Celestis selected Odyssey Moon as a launch supplier to make this special honor available to all who share the vision of extending humanity's reach to the stars.

"We are pleased to schedule these Luna Service missions, to extend our leadership in the commercial space industry, and - most importantly - to serve our global community of families and loved ones wishing to honor the life of a special person," noted Celestis Founder and President Charles M. Chafer.

The new Celestis Luna Service missions were announced at the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association Convention and Exposition on March 26th in San Diego.

Odyssey Moon Limited is a private commercial lunar enterprise headquartered in the Isle of Man involving partners in many nations. The company is dedicated to the long term responsible development of the Moon for the benefit of all Humanity.

Odyssey Moon is the first official team of the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. The company was unveiled on December 6th, 2007, at the Space Investment Summit in San Jose, California. The inaugural Odyssey Moon mission will involve a unique small robotic lander designed to deliver scientific, exploration and commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon.

Celestis, Inc. is a company of Space Services Inc., a Houston, Texas-based aerospace company and a leader in public participation spaceflight. Its heritage encompasses nearly 30 years of leadership in private sector space missions and applications.

Celestis opened the space frontier to post cremation memorials in 1997 with the Founders Flight, sending 24 flight capsules into Earth orbit aboard a Pegasus rocket.

Celestis has conducted six memorial spaceflights serving people from 14 nations, including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, beloved Star Trek actor James Doohan ("Scotty"), and men and women from all walks of life. The next Celestis mission will send 205 participants to Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 1 rocket in June 2008.

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