posted 10-27-2017 04:22 PM               

To date, the late scientist Eugene Shoemaker is still the only person whose remains have been sent to the moon. Even casual stargazers are likely to recognize Shoemaker's name from the famed Shoemaker-Levy comet (which had broken into fragments) that impacted Jupiter in 1994.

...on January 6, 1998, NASA's Lunar Prospector blasted off for the south pole of the moon, looking for ice, and carrying an ounce of Shoemaker's ashes. According to a memorial website set-up by Porco, the ashes were carried in a polycarbonate capsule provided by Celestis. It had been wrapped in a piece of brass foil, laser-etched with his name and dates over an image of the Hale-Bopp Comet; an image of Arizona's Meteor Crater, where he had trained the Apollo astronauts; and a quote from Romeo and Juliet. On July 31, 1999, the mission ended when NASA deliberately crashed the craft on the surface of the moon, taking Shoemaker with it, and making him the first and only person to be buried off-world.

posted 10-27-2017 04:36 PM               

The Navajo Nation cited that the moon is sacred place in the religious beliefs of many Native Americans. Quoting an AP interview with Navajo Nation President Albert Hale:

"It is one thing to probe, to study, to examine and even for men to walk upon the moon. But it is sacrilegious, a gross insensitivity to the beliefs of many Native Americans, to place human remains on the moon."

"I give my commitment that if we ever discuss doing something like this again, we will consult more widely and we will consult with Native Americans," Peggy Wilhide, the agency's director of public affairs, said.