Lee was the mother of the man in my life, and she died on October 10, 2017 at age 95. Yes, all those names show that Lee buried three husbands, which seems to support the contemporary wisdom that women are stronger than men. Indeed, from what Ed has told me about his mother, she was a tough one.
As Lee approached old age, her three children, Ed, Martti, and Jon, would ask her what she wanted done with her body when she died. Her response went something like this: "Freeze me, shoot me into space, and bring me back whenever they find a cure to whatever it was I died of."
Obliging children that they are, Ed and his siblings arranged to have a capsule of Lee's cremated remains shot into space on the Elysium Star II satellite. Along with several other adventurous souls, Lee's capsule will experience "Sun Synchronous Orbit" for the next two years. Ed will be able to track the progression of the orbit on his phone, which might make up for the fact that none of Lee's children were able to be in California to watch the launch. And it's not that they didn't try. Unfortunately, the launch was scheduled and postponed a couple of times, wreaking havoc with travel plans. The launch was available online, however, and if you are a space geek (like Ed is), you can watch it here: Space-X Falcon 9.
As happens often to me, songs kept popping into my head today. I spent the afternoon on the beach, observing the passing clouds that blocked the sun. I didn't need my iTunes. Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," Oliver's "Good Morning, Starshine," and Bowie's "Space Oddity" made up the soundtrack for my musings on the afterlife.
In a 2015 interview with Larry King, Neil deGrasse Tyson explained why he would rather be buried than cremated. He discussed how our intake of food provides energy, and that when we die, that energy is released as heat into space, "of no use to anybody." He further opined that burial into the ground would allow that energy to nourish the earth. So for Tyson, a traditional burial is his choice. (Tyson Interview)
But the romance of orbiting the earth for two years! I will admit to favoring Lee Speary's final curtain call more than Neil deGrasse Tyson's. And what happens after two years? "Eventually, in a last poetic moment, the spacecraft will harmlessly re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, blazing as a shooting star."
What a way to go. Blaze on, Lee!
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