Long Wikipedia article on the next generation of US manned space vehicles - the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which will carry humans to the moon and Mars.
NASA hopes to follow this schedule in development of the CEV:
- 2006 - (March) NASA selects one team to build CEV.
- 2006 - (July) Engineering review of CEV design
- 2008 – 2010 - First unmanned flight of CEV in Earth orbit.[26]
- 2011 - (June) First manned flight of CEV in Earth orbit.
- 2015-2018 - First unmanned flight of Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM).
- 2016-2018 First manned flight of LSAM.
- 2018 - First manned lunar landing with CEV/LSAM system.
- 2020 - Start of planning for Mars missions
The whole program should cost the same (or slightly more) than NASA is currently spending on operating the Shuttle - i.e. retiring the Shuttle by 2010 will pay for most or all of it.
In my mother's family, they bury the cremains (favorite word!) under the family headstone, so you can have both.
In my family, we either forget about the cremains (my grandfather's) and lose track of which funeral home they're stored at, or keep them on a shelf until such a time as it seems fitting to illegally dump them in a river (step-grandfather's and Gram's).
Paul's grandfather's cremains are buried next to the dog.
So, when I go, I'm thinking LifeGem: [link]
While having Grandma's ring is nice, I think having grandma as a ring is just...a bit creepy. But, perhaps, I am simply not in the spirit of the thing, but the testimonials at the site aren't helping.
If only a LifeGem could be utilized in some sort of DeathRay and sold to some supervillian....
I have my grandparents in a necklace.
No, really. A little bit of both of their ashes (not asses, as originally typed... but I suppose it could be their asses) in a small WELL SEALED metal vial, on a chain. I rarely wear it but I'm glad I have it.
Hey, at least it's not my bf's or dh's blood, right?
::suspects Nicole is a Necromancer who uses Strong Language::
::suspects Hec's going to get a smack in the arm after he gets a hug when I'm in SF in a few months::
I, for one, welcome our arm-smacking overlordsvisiting friends!
Be careful what you wish for Hec. Who knows what else she's got up her sleeve besides soopersekrit deathrays powered by ashes. She might have hands. With nails. Ouch.
Well, according to Hec, I'm a possible Necromancer *and* a possible overlord.
Who needs nails?