Remains of James Doohan Lost in New Mexico

caffiend666 writes "According to a Space.com news article the cremated remains of 200 people were lost in the mountains after their trip to space. 'The search for the UP Aerospace payload of experiments and the cremated remains of some 200 people — including "Scotty" of Star Trek fame, as well as pioneeering NASA Mercury astronaut, Gordon Cooper — continues within rugged New Mexico mountain landscape.' Is it just me, or does it seem appropriate that they lost the landing party? Here's to a safe recovery!"

No problem.

Spock will figure out the only logical place it could be.

Re:No problem.

I guess the engines really couldn't take it...

Re:No problem.

Not to be an ass about your dead friend... but seriously, relax. Suck as it may, he's gone, and there's no sense in worrying he might have been injured, or that he's offended.

Besides, I'd expect that if your buddy wanted to be launched into space, he'd have a sense of humor about this sort of thing.

Re:No problem.

And in that vein...

I wouldn't worry about looking for Doohan. Just wait a few weeks and he'll show up on eBay.

Re:No problem.

Keith Richards' nose?

Re:No problem.

If I had to be lost somewhere, it'd be the land of Latinas and tequila.

Sounds a whole heck of a lot like the New Mexico I know...

Poor Gordo Cooper...

As Gordo would have said: "Looks like someone screwed the pooch on this one".

Clever...

He *knew* the Nexus was going to go through that exact point.

Obvious

He was always wearing a red shirt. It was inevitable that he would be lost.

Re:Obvious

no, it is only the new crewmen in red shirts who are doomed. If you have a nickname, you are pretty much safe.

and being Ensign something, well you might as well leave your good boots at home for someone else.

Re:Obvious

http://echosphere.net/star_trek_insp/insp_expendab ility.jpg [echosphere.net]

what

It sounds like this landing did what they wanted it to other than the fact they lost the thing- which makes me wonder why they didn't think of using a tracking beacon of some sort rather than calculating where the thing was. all they would need to do is go toward ths signal.

Re:what

If the rocket did what it was supposed to why would the remains and other crap have come back to earth?

because it was never meant to leave Earth completely, it was SUPPOSED to come back down

Re:

Or just put a tractor beam on it on the way down.

Wow, they weren't retarded.

They did use a tracking becon. As far as they can tell, it is still working, to a couple km (diameter) circle. Unfortunately it landed in mountainous terrain, and "go[ing] towards the signal" is a physical impossiblity. (Okay, not impossible, but quite difficult). Also, the terrain is messing with the signals.

Next week (no hurry I suppose), the manufacturers of the tracking device are bringing more sensitive equipment and more experienced searchers to search for it.

Re:Someone failed grade 5 math

... and somebody failed physics.

If they followed your suggestion, they probably wouldn't find it. The signals in mountainous terrain bounce all over the place.

Even if it were that simple to locate, you've still got to get in there to pick it up.

Re:

In a few days, they'll make headlines by having found the ashes.

... if the Krikkit robots don't beat them to the punch, that is.

Raise your hands

Who else thinks the whole idea is kinda retarded? I mean, in the beginning I thought the ashes of those people will be dispersed in space, which was very strong as a symbol and a ceremony, of sorts.

But carry them in space and land them (and now .. to lose them)? What the hell was the effin point of this whole thing?

Re:Raise your hands

I think the point was to see how the remains of several cremated people reacted to zero g conditions. We now now that when subjected to these certain conditions they gain enough intelligence to outsmart NASA :)

His Last Words

"Yah c'nt bury me, yoo got na ashes!"

Re:Raise your hands

*shrug* Most cultures are still obsessed with the mind's dead vessel; that's not going to change overnight.

IMO, both cremation & cemeteries are a huge waste of resources. When I finally get around to writing my Will, it'll include something to the effect: "If my pattern of mind is beyond repair, drop my naked nutrient-rich matter into a vertical hole and plant a tree. I forbid energy-wastful cremation, and burial in a rip-off casket in a drab cemetery surrounded by giant obelisk phallic symbols..." Of course, there's probably some business-friendly laws which says that's illegal.

Re:

IMO, both cremation & cemeteries are a huge waste of resources.

Cremation is useful in that it avoid infection spreading (especially, but not limited to when the man/woman died froma dangerous infection disease). It gets cremated and can be dealt with

Re:

That kinda sucks for anyone years in the future who may want to study the body to see how you lived and what caused your death.

We're in the 21-st century. He doesn't need to study your body to find how you lived, he just needs to Google your name.

Re:Raise your hands

"If my pattern of mind is beyond repair, drop my naked nutrient-rich matter into a vertical hole and plant a tree. I forbid energy-wastful cremation, and burial in a rip-off casket in a drab cemetery surrounded by giant obelisk phallic symbols..." Of course, there's probably some business-friendly laws which says that's illegal.

I had this in mind when I chose to bury two of my dogs in the backyard. Looking back on the experience (I ended up with two small plaques and planting some flowers and shrubs), I don't regret my decision. I could write an essay on the subject, but it should suffice to say it just seemed like the right thing to do. From every point of view.

Whether the above is legal, I don't know. My guess is that it isn't. Once upon a time people (at least those who owned land) had family cemeteries. Maybe someone here who knows more about such traditions could enlighten us. At any rate, today, at least here in California, burying someone on private land, irrespective of whether you own one acre of land or 1000 acres, was made illegal sometime in the 1920s (?).

It's kind of shame, really. Obviously, we can't all just around burying people just anywhere (broadband deployment is complicated enough), but there's something to be said for being buried in the dirt, and having someone come along and plant some grass or a tree where you were laid to rest.

Recyling at its best.

Re:Raise your hands

I had this in mind when I chose to bury two of my dogs in the backyard.

How did you get them to stay there? Mine always dig themselves out.

Re:

Actually, the idea of a minimal-impact burial is alive and well. Fitting with the tradition, it's called a "green burial". Google isn't all that helpful at this point, but it's essentially being unembalmed, being thrown in a cardboard box and having a tree

Re:

I doubt health problems would be an issue unless the person died of a communicable disease like cholera or polio. Of course, in the 19th and early 20th Century, that would have been a serious problem. OTOH, given the laws against desecration of human remai

Re:Raise your hands

Well spoken. It's an industry. The one thing I remember when my grandfather died (it was an insanely emotional period - my other grandfather had just died a week earlier, both unexpected), the undertakers were there in no time and asked my grandmother: "do you want him to be buried in first class or second class ground?" (literally). What is she supposed to say at such a time? Of course she chose "first class", thinking she would honour him that way. In reality, she just paid a lot of money.. for what? I was quite disgusted.

Re:Raise your hands

My grandma has died 2 months ago, the government already closes the bank account at first knowledge of death. This to pay the expenses of the undertakers, the church service, the after service (in Belgium with coffee cakes and sandwiches, because it's a tradition to eat and talk with the relatives around in a room/tables) and some other expenses...

These expenses start with the "cheapest" which is not really "cheap" anymore but rather expensive and if you want to be buried with some decency (which won't change anything for you anymore anyways), the bill will be -very- expensive/uncatholic ... It seems to be a profitable business, maybe some idea through the web *shrug*

Re:

When my husband died, I rented a coffin for $200. We used it for almost a week before finally getting him cremated. Not bad, I guess considering what a motel goes for around here.

Re:

The laws aren't Business-Friendly, they are related to public health. Lets say I did what you wanted and planted you in a shallow grave with no casing and planted a tree. While a very nice gesture, your bodies' parasites and fungi live on. And if you died

Re:

To the best of my knowledge, in many states, it is required that you buy a casket, and in most states it is required that you buy *some* sort of container, even if it's just a little cardboard box like an ice-cream container for the ashes. Luckily, those

Re:Raise your hands

Very few people can pull off "intimidating" when stuffed and left on a couch. "Creepy", on the other hand...

That's not the real reason

It's to keep them in the ground when the zombie apocalypse comes.

Re:

>>Just had a weird flashback of playing online games and seeing corpses dissolve into thin air. How do they do it.... ;)

Ah, nuts to THAT! Iwant to know how they manage to RESPAWN.

Re:Raise your hands

What the hell was the effin point of this whole thing?

to make money, of course. it was a private enterprise.

Re:Raise your hands

to make money, of course. it was a private enterprise.

I can't tell if that was a pun or not.

Either way good call.

clear throat, cue theremin

Rural New Mexico, the final frontier. These are the remains of James Doohan. Its five-minute mission: to explore cactus and scrub mesas; to not burn up and burst its canister; to boldly go where no cremated remains have gone before.

oooooo waaaahhh, wah wah wah wah wah....

Sent into space?

Man, if I was, like, "Send my ashes into space when I die" and they were like, "OK, we can send you in a suborbital trajectory", I'd be all like, "Fuck that bitches, I said SPACE".

Not again,

This is the second time he's put himself into a transporter loop waiting for rescue.
Clevernickname better get off his blog and go get him.

Damn it Jim!

I am a doctor not an orbital scientist!

Searching in the wrong place...

Has anyone checked ebay yet?

Summary is incorrect

Nitpick: TFA says they didn't get into space. TFS says "remains of 200 people were lost in the mountains after their trip to space."

Breaking news...

The ship has been found, but unfortunately everyone on board have been confirmed dead. :(

Obligatory Bones Quote:

He's dead, Jim!

Send in the red shirts!

In these crazy days, doesn't it seem like there's a lawyer somewhere just WAITING for the first time a journalist writes the headline, "Lost in Space" so they can get copyright infringement?

Maybe I'm too cynical. :>

Seriously though; "Scotty" was a huge hero even before Star Trek. One of his previous roles was on June 6th, 1944: he was one of them attacking Fortress Europa. His efforts, and the efforts of thousands of other guys wasting their childhood fighting Nazi Germany is why we're free. Why the show could air; why the benefits of freedom are so available. I liked'em before, but upon learning that, I'm his biggest fan.

My dad came behind the push at Anzio, he got a late start. Dad is why I know this was such a huge accomplishment. Thanks so much, "Scotty".

Not exactly

  They should launched Doohan and Cooper into deep space. They deserve better then to be shoved back to this stinkin planet.

They'll be found eventually..

On Ebay...

He's not really dead

He just stored himself in the transporter buffer.

Re:Sad :(

In the game of life we are ALL wearing red shirts