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[misko27]

have the body launch on a flight that was going to be undertaken anyway. Then just propel it away from the mission on a smaller rocket/oxygen tank.

Unfortunately plenty of work is required to actually get things to fall into the sun, if they happen to sit on one of these insanely fast moving rocks like earth.
Unless you settle for spinning around the sun on some odd orbit, you'll have to pay for a launch dedicated just to hitting the sun. And its going to be very expensive.

Maybe this will help to understand the physics involved:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKnwYiqlTAE

Those pyramids atleast have all sorts of additional benefits. Just think about the scale of those things and their age. They were built 4000ish years ago. Its a similar achievement to the first manned moon landing if you consider the economics, logistics and planning involved and the technology available at the time.

Dumping some bodies into the sun just seems like one very expensive and wasteful way to please some narcissistic egos in comparison (and nobody will care 4 months later, let alone 4000 years ).

Meanwhile, magma is still cooler.

[Siquo]

Dumping some bodies into the sun just seems like one very expensive and wasteful way to please some narcissistic egos in comparison

And the pyramids aren't expensive and wasteful ways to please some narcissistic egos?

[Double A]

Fuck being wasteful, the wishes of the dead should be respected whenever possible. If you want to be shot into the sun, pay for it ahead of time, and have the body launch on a flight that was going to be undertaken anyway. Then just propel it away from the mission on a smaller rocket/oxygen tank.

But volcanic cremation would be a high priority as a goelogist.

I was under the assumption that technology to make space travel cheaper, faster, and better was on the drawing board. I was just going to hitch a ride on a colonization shuttle bus and get shot out of an escape pod.

[Draco18s]

I was under the assumption that technology to make space travel cheaper, faster, and better

Unlikely.

Not to mention that said colony ship would likely have one of three destinations:

1) The moon (not enough velocity change to produce a sunshot)
2) Mars (going the wrong way)
3) Somewhere outside the solar system, see footnote 1.

¹Odds of this occurring within the next 1000 years: zilch.  Primary reason: Physics; that stupid speed of light problem.

[Double A]

I'm sure some physicist could figure it out. Or I could ride up on a satellite.

Why is this my problem, anyway? I'll be dead, I'll just stick it in my will as a requirement for all my stuff to go to whoever wants it.

[Gizogin]

Magma cremation would be pretty cool, but there'd be no ashes for your family to put in an urn.  Unless you scooped up a bit of the magma (I guess technically it'd be lava then) and put it in a suitable container.  You could be forever immortalized as an actual lava lamp!  Mind you, the energy requirements to keep that stone molten would be enormous, but I can't think of a better way to go out.

[Draco18s]

Magma cremation would be pretty cool, but there'd be no ashes for your family to put in an urn.  Unless you scooped up a bit of the magma (I guess technically it'd be lava then) and put it in a suitable container.  You could be forever immortalized as an actual lava lamp!  Mind you, the energy requirements to keep that stone molten would be enormous, but I can't think of a better way to go out.

Nah.  Give it to a glass blower and make an urn WITH your ashes.

[Lord Inquisitor]

pressure, lota of pressure, have your ashes made into memorial slab to yourself from yourself.


jimmy dont kick the floor, that your grampa your walking on,and cousin timmy and uncle bob.

[Osmosis Jones]

Odds of this occurring within the next 1000 years: zilch.  Primary reason: Physics; that stupid speed of light problem.

To be fair, we can theoretically get to the nearest star system in a bit over a century using 1970's tech; Freeman Dyson calculated project Orion could reach Alpha Centauri in as little as 133 years (that's using the momentum limited estimation which assumes we want a *smooth* constant 1g acceleration; tweak those and we can go faster). Develop cryotech or hell, build a generation ship, and that's downright doable.

[Draco18s]

To be fair, we can theoretically get to the nearest star system in a bit over a century using 1970's tech; Freeman Dyson calculated project Orion could reach Alpha Centauri in as little as 133 years (that's using the momentum limited estimation which assumes we want a *smooth* constant 1g acceleration; tweak those and we can go faster). Develop cryotech or hell, build a generation ship, and that's downright doable.

Sure.  But no one would want to be on it.  I don't think there are any habitable planets in the Alpha Centauri system.  We've observed numerous extrasolar planets, one would have thought to take a peek at the nearest stars already.

[Osmosis Jones]

To be fair, we can theoretically get to the nearest star system in a bit over a century using 1970's tech; Freeman Dyson calculated project Orion could reach Alpha Centauri in as little as 133 years (that's using the momentum limited estimation which assumes we want a *smooth* constant 1g acceleration; tweak those and we can go faster). Develop cryotech or hell, build a generation ship, and that's downright doable.

Sure.  But no one would want to be on it.  I don't think there are any habitable planets in the Alpha Centauri system.  We've observed numerous extrasolar planets, one would have thought to take a peek at the nearest stars already.

It's still unknown; alpha centauri isn't in Kepler's (the main planet finding instrument) target region.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also, even so, there are a number of stars within 10 light years of earth. Given that time of travel is primarily limited by acceleration, back of the envelope calculation suggests that's still reachable in ~200 years. Yes, it's a long way, but we as a race are crazy enough to do it, and sooner than you might think.

(/huge optimism)

Now, this no longer has anything to do with garbage disposal; they wouldn't stick dead weight (geddit?) like a corpse on one of these, so I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled MAGMA!

[smirk]

Fuck being wasteful, the wishes of the dead should be respected whenever possible.

Badass. Time to revise my will: My last wish will be that everyone who dies after me must be turned into soylent green, or their families will be pitted into a volcano. Solving overpopulation and starvation problems in one stroke! I'll take that saint-hood now.

[misko27]

Also, even so, there are a number of stars within 10 light years of earth. Given that time of travel is primarily limited by acceleration, back of the envelope calculation suggests that's still reachable in ~200 years. Yes, it's a long way, but we as a race are crazy enough to do it, and sooner than you might think.

Maybe. If you could shorten it down to say, 70 years some would probably go for it. Really young life-sentence people, Cause staring at space is probably more interesting then staring at granite. Ask the dwarves.
 At 50, You start attracting the crazy-people demographic including scientologists. at 30, highly adventurous if slughtly insane people are likely. People like this entire forum. 10-29 years, well, that wouldn't be hard at all. The age of exploration proved there are enough people with little to lose to get things done.
Alternatively, subsidize it. Give everyone a huge grant of money. For some reason, people like having money even if they can't spend it for 130 years.

pressure, lota of pressure, have your ashes made into memorial slab to yourself from yourself.

Screw that, solidify the magma, THEN you slab it. Hmm, has anyone obsidianized a dwarf then made a slab out of the stone? Do it, Or I'll haunt this entire forum.
EDIT: wait no! Make me a statue of my obsidian remains! My tomb is going to kick ass. Also

Fuck being wasteful, the wishes of the dead should be respected whenever possible.

Badass. Time to revise my will: My last wish will be that everyone who dies after me must be turned into soylent green, or their families will be pitted into a volcano. Solving overpopulation and starvation problems in one stroke! I'll take that saint-hood now.

Do you have the MONEY to turn everyone into soylent green? can you AFFORD to fly people to volcanos? I thought not.

[Double A]

I would love to be in a generation ship, I'd be able to play every game made up to that point for the rest of my life and do like nothing else. Would only volunteer after DF is finished.

[Maxmurder]

I would love to be in a generation ship, I'd be able to play every game made up to that point for the rest of my life and do like nothing else. Would only volunteer after DF is finished.

Most of your time would likely be devoted to farming, cooking, cleaning, ship upkeep etc. (i mean the thing would be detonating nuclear devices at regular intervals!) It wouldnt be likely that they would allocate resorces to gaming. Mabe a hour or so of allocated lesiure time per day, but that would be best spent exercising/socialising.

A generation ship would have to be absolutly massive to accomodate a sufficiantly genetic diverse crew, as well as farms to feed them, recreation areas, power facilitys, water/air recycleing. I really doubt that it could be done with todays technology let alone 70s tech.