Local Company To Take Mementos To Moon
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Have you ever thought about sending a memento to the moon?
If you have, a local company says it can make it happen for you.
Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced the launch of their Moon Mail program, which will send a small memento to the moon for you on its Griffin lunar lander.
"For the first time ever, people from all over the world can take their keepsakes, mementos, and fly them all the way directly to the moon," John Thornton told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Thursday.
The company was found in 2008 and is a licensed contractor with NASA. They are also an official partner with NASA on the Lunar CATALYST program.
According to a press release, the program is, "an opportunity to commemorate major life events - graduations, weddings, birthdays, a loved one's memory - with a lasting symbol on the moon."
"With Moon Mail, people from around the world can send a memento on Astrobotic's lunar lander," Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in a statement. "They'll make history by participating in the first commercial Moon landing."
"We're a delivery service. We're just like FedEx or UPS. We take your packages and send them to the moon," Thornton said.
Looking for a cool Christmas gift for a loved one?
Thornton says, send a memory of them to the moon.
"The moon is a forever place. It's up in the sky and you can see it every single night, so we can send pieces of ourselves, stories, and mementos that mean something to us as individuals, and it will be forever immortalized on the surface of the moon."
In about two years, Astrobotic will launch its first space craft to the moon as part of Google's Lunar X-Prize Contest -- and then land on the surface.
The lunar lander looks pretty typical, and mail will be strapped or attached right to the surface of the lander. The lander ends up on the moon where it stays forever along with your package.
It's not cheap.
Depending on the size of your package, the price ranges from $460 to over $25,000.
"Wouldn't interest me in the least," says Carolyn Roberts of Murraysville.
"I want to keep everything here. Give it to the kids," adds Daneen Miller of Murraysville.
While some have no interest, others see the possibilities.
"It would be pretty cool to say you had a piece of yourself on the moon," notes R. J. Baughman of Robinson.
"Something that means a lot to me I guess," says Nikki Boyle of Castle Shannon. "That way if I look up at the moon, I know it's there.>>
A pretty cool thought indeed.
For more information, or to order your capsule, visit their website here: https://www.astrobotic.com/moon-mail
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