Celestis is part of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Funeral History, which is located in Houston, Texas. The exhibit honors Celestis and some of the past notable figures Celestis has flown into space, including Mercury 7 Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry and Star Trek actor James Doohan who played “Mr. Scott.” On display are pictures and replicas of the flight containers that carried these celebrities’ cremated remains in space, engraved with their names and flight messages.
The Celestis exhibit provides an overview of our memorial spaceflight services and features a model of the SpaceLoft XL launch vehicle, built and flown by UP Aerospace, that flies our Earth Rise Service missions into space from Spaceport America, New Mexico. The museum decided to honor Celestis as we are the only private company to have conducted memorial spaceflights.
Called “Thanks for the Memories,” the exhibit honors not only Celestis, but also iconic figures in history such as Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “Thanks for the Memories” is dedicated to capturing and highlighting the magnificent and interesting ways society has bid farewell to some of the world’s most famous figures.
“The National Museum of Funeral History has been grateful for the working relationship with Celestis Memorial Spaceflights,” said Genevieve Keeney, President of the museum. “It has allowed us to enhance the exhibit with the artifacts of some of our most well-known space icons: James Doohan, Gordon Cooper and Gene Roddenberry.”
Among the museum’s other permanent exhibits are displays concerning:
- Presidential funerals
- The American Tomb of the Unknown soldier
- 9/11 and fallen heroes
- 19th century mourning customs
- Day of the Dead / Dia De Los Muertos
- Japanese funerals
- Celebrating the lives and deaths of the popes
With more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, the museum houses the United States’ largest collection of funeral service artifacts and features renowned exhibits regarding one of humanity’s oldest cultural customs. For more information, visit the National Museum of Funeral History at nmfh.org.