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- Donate body to science

- Cremation and mixed with Iron to make a steel structure (preferably something linked to my life mission)

- Cremation and remains sent to space (or the Moon or Mars)

I'm cheap and idealistic, so I'll leaning most toward the first, but the other 2 do appeal to my inner geek, in all cases I'd still remain an organ donor.

From the Celestis FAQ, it was either 1 gram or 7 grams of ashes, depending on which type of service was purchased.

http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/faq.asp

How are the cremated remains actually launched?

The remains are placed in a specially designed, individual flight module or capsule which contains either seven grams or one gram of cremated remains, depending upon the service you selected. They are then integrated into the Celestis spacecraft, which is attached to the rocket and launched into space.

They charge @$2000 a gram. (Close to a million dollars a pound.) People just do a gram or so.

There's a huge misconception most people seem to have about this story, so I figured I'd repost my comment from the previous SpaceX story:

It's worth noting though that Celestis, the company which offers the service for placing a person's cremated remains on a space launch, only uses a tiny portion of the ashes on a particular launch. From their FAQ:

http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/faq.asp

Why launch only a symbolic portion?

We offer the launch of a symbolic portion of the cremated remains as a memorial service, not final disposition of all the remains, because although dramatic progress is being made by entrepreneurs in reducing launch costs, spaceflight is still quite expensive. By launching a portion we can offer an affordable service, and also can provide performance assurance.

We will arrange for final disposition of the balance of the cremated remains through a sea scattering service, should you so desire.

Space launches are challenging. What if the orbit is not achieved?

In the event that the Celestis Earth Orbit Service spacecraft does not achieve orbit, we will -- at no additional cost -- place a second sample of the cremated remains aboard our next scheduled mission.

The New York Time reports that the rocket was also carrying the ashes of 208 people who had paid to have their remains shot into space, including the astronaut Gordon Cooper and the actor James Doohan, who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the wily engineer on the original "Star Trek" television series.

It's worth noting though that Celestis, the company which offers the service for placing a person's cremated remains on a space launch, only uses a tiny portion of the ashes on a particular launch. From their FAQ:

http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/faq.asp

Why launch only a symbolic portion?

We offer the launch of a symbolic portion of the cremated remains as a memorial service, not final disposition of all the remains, because although dramatic progress is being made by entrepreneurs in reducing launch costs, spaceflight is still quite expensive. By launching a portion we can offer an affordable service, and also can provide performance assurance.

We will arrange for final disposition of the balance of the cremated remains through a sea scattering service, should you so desire.

Space launches are challenging. What if the orbit is not achieved?

In the event that the Celestis Earth Orbit Service spacecraft does not achieve orbit, we will -- at no additional cost -- place a second sample of the cremated remains aboard our next scheduled mission.

... he should be able to book a ride into space from these people - and they will guarantee he won't be vomiting.

This question seems to be coming up quite often in the threads here. From their FAQ:

Space Services' spacecraft is carefully designed so as not to create orbital debris. Our spacecraft stays permanently attached to a rocket stage that orbits until it harmlessly re-enters and is completely consumed by Earth's atmosphere - blazing like a shooting star in final tribute to the passengers aboard.

For missions which are launched aboard a commercially purchased launcher, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration issues a license which verifies that the Space Services payload does not contribute to orbital debris. For missions not subject to FAA approval, Space Services voluntarily follows the same guidelines which prevent orbital pollution from its missions.

I spend some time thinking about doing something special with my ashes if I chose cremation. A lot of people seem to like their ashes spread in ocean or in the sky. I thought about my ashes going to space, like Scotty's, but it may not be an option for a chump like me. Unless there is a service that performs this or I get connections, my family won't be able to do this practically.

I don't know if you poked around the Space Services site much, but their prices are available online.

Here's the breakdown:

$995 - 1 gram of cremated remains into Earth orbit

$5,300 - 7 grams into Earth orbit

$12,500 - 1 gram into lunar orbit or lunar surface

$12,500 - 1 gram into deep space

The first option certainly seems affordable, especially when you consider that funerals often cost several thousand dollars.

The funniest part will be where the rocket malfunctions and buries all the junk in the ocean instead.
P.S. zOMG

Those ashes aren't really going into space, just low-earth orbit. . .

i.e., space.

Well, no orbit is permanent, all orbits eventualy decay. Here's what thair web site says... http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/faq.asp How long will the cremated remains stay in Earth orbit? The length of orbital stay depends on the final altitude of the primary satellite launched on the mission (a memorial spacecrafts is a "secondary payload" aboard each mission). For example, the orbital life span for our Celestis satellites ranged from two years to several hundred years. The anticipated orbital lifetime for each mission is posted on the dedicated flight web page, after its launch.

Heck, if I weren't married, I might take that trip.

You can go to space alot cheaper try $995.00! http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/options.asp Oh yeah, the small catch... you have to be DEAD! ;)

According to this article, Doohan requested that his ashes be sent into space. His family is honoring his wishes, launching the ashes with Space Services. It's a little out of the ordinary, but it seems like a rather fitting finale for him.