US Company Launches "Space Burial Services" In Taiwan

[matcom]

<snip>

TAIPEI (Reuters) - A U.S. company specializing in space burials has launched its service in Taiwan, where centuries of culture often see funerals involving scores of relatives, bands and professional mourners wailing over a loudspeaker.

Texas-based Celestis Inc signed a deal with Taiwan funeral service company Bau Shan Enterprise Group Thursday that could see Taiwanese people sending a symbolic part of their deceased loved ones' ashes into orbit, deep space or even the moon.

But both firms say the high-tech practice needs time to win acceptance in a culture where elaborate funeral rituals date back thousands of years.

Bau Shan business manager Rogers Yeh said some interested customers were hesitant to send only a portion of ashes into space.

"Most of them were very curious, but they want to go up whole because we Chinese have a tradition of leaving a complete body behind," Yeh said. Celestis offers only the launch of one- or seven-gram portions of the deceased's ashes.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=2&u=/nm/20040219/od_nm/life_taiwan_space_dc