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NASA's New Horizons To Arrive At Pluto With Clyde Tombaugh's Ashes
hypnosec writes NASA's New Horizons is bringing with it the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh – its discoverer – as it cruises towards the now dwarf-planet or 'plutoid'. The probe will be close enough on January 15 to start observing Pluto. Clyde Tombaugh discovered the ice and rock-laden Pluto in 1930 and one of his final requests was that his ashes be sent into space. Tombaugh died on January 17, 1997. Fulfilling that wish NASA has fitted the upper deck of New Horizons probe with a small container containing Tombaugh's ashes alongside a total of 7 scientific instruments. "Interned herein are remains of American Clyde W. Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto and the solar system's 'third zone'", reads the inscription on the container.
And still a tremendous waste of money to placard those who fund NASA for emotional reasons, not scientific reasons. Every extra gram, whether it be a container with ashes, a plaque, or other parts having to be made larger or move to accommodate the extra parts means more design, more testing, more fuel, and no return.
Not that anyone would ever find this probe, but if someone did in the far future, they would have to conclude that 21st century humans believed in magic. Sad, but that at least would be valuable information.
Not to mention that they probably needed something to balance the probe anyway -- might as well use someone's ashes for symbolic purposes.
Why would it need to be balanced? It's not rotating for gravity. It would likely be better if probes are quite unbalanced, and as a result the gravity drag from the Sun would help keep it pointed in the right direction without risking rotation nor having to run gyroscopes unnecessarily.
And why ashes?
And why ashes from a particular carcass?
There is absolutely nothing special about those ashes compared to those from, say, a pig. This is religious symbolism, not science.
Just because it isn't a particular religion doesn't make it less of a religious gesture. Which, thanks to good Mr. Jefferson, should not take place on public money.