The state of Virginia has an economic stimulus plan of galactic proportion
Commercial spaceflight is poised to rocket civilians to the stars for the first time in history, but?space tourism apparently isn't just limited to the living. A new bill proposed in the state of Virginia wants to help residents pay for a burial among the stars. The bill, sponsored by Virginia delegate Terry Kilgore, would offer up to $8,000 in tax breaks for Virginians planning to shoot their cremated remains into space. Oddly enough, the legislation was conceived as part of a state stimulus plan, and intends to generate revenue for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. If passed, starry-eyed Virginia residents could receive a $2,500 deduction each year for space burials launching from MARS.
While being put to rest out in space is strikingly futuristic, it isn't a new idea entirely: On a flight on April 21, 1997, the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry were launched into orbit along with the ashes of LSD advocate Timothy Leary and two other space-minded individuals.
Private companies have seized on the trend, and offer to whisk what remains of your loved ones into Earth's orbit, lunar orbit, or even deep space ? for a price. A company known as?Celestis will launch a sealed capsule of ashes into the final frontier, starting at $2,995. If you'd like to venture even further in the afterlife, the company's Voyager package will ferry your remains beyond the gravitational pull of our Earth and moon for a cool $12,500, beginning in 2014.
[Image credit:?U.S. Army]
LA Times via?PopSci
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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