https://www.rt.com/news/462518-spacex-ashes-space-rocket/
Funeral flight? SpaceX to send HUMAN ASHES into orbit aboard Falcon rocket... for $5k per gram
Published time: 23 Jun, 2019 15:37
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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center / FILE PHOTO © Reuters
The “funeral flight” is scheduled for late on Monday, June 24, and will see containers packed with the cremated remains of 152 people sent into orbit.
The ‘cremains’ are stocked on the Falcon Heavy by a company called Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. The company buys out available room on spacecraft and packs it with tiny metal storage capsules filled with the ashes of people’s loved ones – all for the not-so-modest price of $5,000 per gram.
The capsules will be on one of the satellites carried by the Falcon Heavy, which will float in orbit for as long as the satellite operates.
Every capsule is etched with a tombstone-like inscription, including phrases like “Reach for the stars!” and “Space Truckin’ Forever.”
Also on rt.com Privatizing space? Strapped-for-cash NASA to open International Space Station to tourists
The Falcon Heavy flight is not the first time that human ‘cremains’ will be sent into space. Operating since 1994, Celestis has already flown its ash-filled capsules on 15 different rockets: eight suborbital flights, six into orbit around Earth, and even one to the Moon. Among the company’s most famous cremains were those of Star Trek actor James Doohan, who died in 2005. Apart from orbital flights, the company also facilitates the voyages of ashes into deep space. However, the cost of these begins at $12,500 per gram.
However, for the ‘cremains’ to enter orbit, the rocket company first has to deal with what Elon Musk, the SpaceX founder, has called “our most difficult launch ever.” This may be due to the specifics of the satellites which the Falcon Heavy will carry, as well as their loads. One of them, for instance, is NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock, aimed at changing space navigation techniques.
Also on rt.com Stardust: British firm will scatter your ashes in outer space
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Musk ridiculed for tweeting picture of Moon with ‘Occupy Mars’ catch
Published time: 24 Jun, 2019 04:52 Edited time: 24 Jun, 2019 05:26
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SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L) © REUTERS/Mike Blake // The "super blood wolf moon" is seen during a total lunar eclipse in Frankfurt, Germany, January 21, 2019. (R) © REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
The tech entrepreneur, who just last week almost deleted his Twitter account over a row with a sketch artist, may again consider leaving the platform after being mocked for similarly mixing up the Moon and Mars in a promotional photo.
On Sunday, Musk touted his Starship project, a multibillion-dollar rocket that one day might take people to the red planet.
“Accelerating Starship development to build the Martian Technocracy,” Musk stated in a tweet. An hour later, he followed up his initial message with a picture of the Moon against the slogan “Occupy Mars.”
Although one may argue that the Moon in Musk’s tweet resembles Mars due to its reddish tinge, inquisitive netizens immediately spotted the mistake and started educating Musk on the Moon’s looks, shaming him for allowing the mix-up.
“Are we occupying Mars during a lunar eclipse or did you not realize that's the moon?” one tweeter wrote.
“ First you need to be able to identify a picture of it dude,” another chuckled.
Offering Musk a helping hand, a commentator resorted to PowerPoint magic to “fix” the caption.
While the prevailing mood on Twitter was that Musk had made a simple mistake and may even delete the tweet afterwards, some devout fans of the space visionary argued that the picture was perhaps a subtle dig at US President Donald Trump.
“Um... are you intentionally making fun of our President? Cuz if you're not, may I? MoonMars!” a commenter wrote.
Trump sparked a fact-checking craze earlier this month when he tweeted that NASA should explore Mars, “of which the Moon is a part.” Although it was most likely Trump meant that any mission to the Moon should be undertaken with Mars in sight, he got pilloried by astronomy-savvy Democrats anyway.
Also on rt.com Fact checking gone mad: Democrats tell Trump ‘the Moon is not part of Mars’
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https://www.businessinsider.sg/tesl...l-time-for-latest-sec-fight-2019-2/?r=US&IR=T
Elon Musk could face everything from a fine to a suspension for his latest fight with one of his biggest enemies
Isobel Asher Hamilton, Business Insider US
February 26, 2019
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On Monday, the SEC accused Musk of violating his settlement with the agency over his “funding secured” tweet debacle in September last year, when both Tesla and Musk were fined $20 million.
Part of the settlement stipulated that Tesla is supposed to pre-approve all of his communications with shareholders that include “material” information about the company.
Following the tweet, the SEC asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt of the federal court that approved that settlement. Musk has until March 11 to explain why he should not be held in contempt, according to Reuters.
Peter Haveles, a lawyer and partner at Pepper Hamilton in New York, said a fine and a strong reprimand is the likeliest outcome if Musk is found to be in contempt of court.
“Tellingly, the SEC’s motion paper did not describe what sanction it was seeking from the judge, so they’re leaving some flexibility here,” he added.
Elliot Lutzker, a former SEC enforcement officer, told Business Insider that there’s a possibility the agency could push for Musk to be suspended as CEO if it emerged that the billionaire consistently failed to get his Twitter messages pre-approved.
“They already stripped him of being a chairman, they could bar him from being an officer of a public company,” said Lutzker, who now works for law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron.
He agreed with Haveles that a fine is the more likely outcome, as booting Musk from the top position could adversely affect Tesla’s shareholders. “It’s a tough situation because Musk is Tesla and they need him,” he said.
Tesla Model 3. Matthew DeBord/BI
When asked how likely it is that the SEC would pursue criminal proceedings, SEC compliance consultant Robert Quinn said it is rare in a civil case such as Musk’s, but if other tweets are deemed to be in violation of the settlement, things could get a lot more serious.
“The SEC takes market manipulation very seriously,” said Quinn, a consultant at Robert Quinn Financial Regulatory Experts in London. He added that the agency “has a long track record of making examples of people.”
Musk might not have the strongest defense
Musk and Tesla have argued that the tweet is not in violation of the settlement because in Tesla’s Q4 earnings call on January 30, the CEO forecast that Tesla would make between 350,000 and 500,000 Model 3 vehicles in 2019.
The SEC rejected this in its filing, saying it was “not credible.” Quinn, Haveles, and Lutzker agreed that it’s not the strongest line of defense.
“The purpose of the order is to put in some supervision and pre-clearance… So whether or not for the moment his statements were accurate or not, he consciously did not follow the rules,” Haveles said.
Read more: “How embarrassing”: Elon Musk fired back at the SEC in latest fight over Tesla production numbers
Lutzker also said that the “substance” of the tweet was not the issue.
“The telltale sign is that his attorney who represented him… resigned almost simultaneously or contemporaneously with this latest violation of the SEC injunction,” Lutzker said. Tesla’s general counsel Dane Butswinkas resigned on February 20, the same day Musk tweeted about production figures.
Haveles and Quinn agreed that the information in his tweet was potent enough to move the market. Haveles said Musk was lucky the pronouncement was made outside of trading hours.
Elon Musk. PewDiePie/YouTube
“He tweets whenever he gets the urge, so I think it was fortuitous but not deliberate on his part that he did it in the middle of the night,” said Haveles.
He added that the tweet’s timing does mitigate against the potential harm it could have caused, “but it doesn’t change the fact that he did engage in misconduct.”
What happens next
Haveles said there will be a procedural hearing, which will involve lawyers from Tesla and the SEC arguing it out in front of Judge Alison Nathan, who approved the original settlement. But if Judge Nathan deems it necessary, she could demand an evidentiary hearing, forcing Musk to testify in person.
Haveles, who has been in the courtroom with Nathan multiple times, said she is not to be messed with. “She is known for being fair-minded, but she is also tough and if she thinks you are playing games with her or misleading her, she will be very sharp in pointing that out to you,” he said.
Musk has a history of mocking the SEC, at one point dubbing the agency the “Shortseller Enrichment Commission.” He doubled down on this on Tuesday, tweeting that “something is broken with SEC oversight.” Musk did, however, say he has that he has “great respect for judges.”
Funeral flight? SpaceX to send HUMAN ASHES into orbit aboard Falcon rocket... for $5k per gram
Published time: 23 Jun, 2019 15:37
Get short URL
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center / FILE PHOTO © Reuters
- 43
- 1
The “funeral flight” is scheduled for late on Monday, June 24, and will see containers packed with the cremated remains of 152 people sent into orbit.
The ‘cremains’ are stocked on the Falcon Heavy by a company called Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. The company buys out available room on spacecraft and packs it with tiny metal storage capsules filled with the ashes of people’s loved ones – all for the not-so-modest price of $5,000 per gram.
The capsules will be on one of the satellites carried by the Falcon Heavy, which will float in orbit for as long as the satellite operates.
Every capsule is etched with a tombstone-like inscription, including phrases like “Reach for the stars!” and “Space Truckin’ Forever.”
Also on rt.com Privatizing space? Strapped-for-cash NASA to open International Space Station to tourists
The Falcon Heavy flight is not the first time that human ‘cremains’ will be sent into space. Operating since 1994, Celestis has already flown its ash-filled capsules on 15 different rockets: eight suborbital flights, six into orbit around Earth, and even one to the Moon. Among the company’s most famous cremains were those of Star Trek actor James Doohan, who died in 2005. Apart from orbital flights, the company also facilitates the voyages of ashes into deep space. However, the cost of these begins at $12,500 per gram.
However, for the ‘cremains’ to enter orbit, the rocket company first has to deal with what Elon Musk, the SpaceX founder, has called “our most difficult launch ever.” This may be due to the specifics of the satellites which the Falcon Heavy will carry, as well as their loads. One of them, for instance, is NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock, aimed at changing space navigation techniques.
Also on rt.com Stardust: British firm will scatter your ashes in outer space
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
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Musk ridiculed for tweeting picture of Moon with ‘Occupy Mars’ catch
Published time: 24 Jun, 2019 04:52 Edited time: 24 Jun, 2019 05:26
Get short URL
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L) © REUTERS/Mike Blake // The "super blood wolf moon" is seen during a total lunar eclipse in Frankfurt, Germany, January 21, 2019. (R) © REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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- 1
The tech entrepreneur, who just last week almost deleted his Twitter account over a row with a sketch artist, may again consider leaving the platform after being mocked for similarly mixing up the Moon and Mars in a promotional photo.
On Sunday, Musk touted his Starship project, a multibillion-dollar rocket that one day might take people to the red planet.
“Accelerating Starship development to build the Martian Technocracy,” Musk stated in a tweet. An hour later, he followed up his initial message with a picture of the Moon against the slogan “Occupy Mars.”
Although one may argue that the Moon in Musk’s tweet resembles Mars due to its reddish tinge, inquisitive netizens immediately spotted the mistake and started educating Musk on the Moon’s looks, shaming him for allowing the mix-up.
“Are we occupying Mars during a lunar eclipse or did you not realize that's the moon?” one tweeter wrote.
“ First you need to be able to identify a picture of it dude,” another chuckled.
Offering Musk a helping hand, a commentator resorted to PowerPoint magic to “fix” the caption.
While the prevailing mood on Twitter was that Musk had made a simple mistake and may even delete the tweet afterwards, some devout fans of the space visionary argued that the picture was perhaps a subtle dig at US President Donald Trump.
“Um... are you intentionally making fun of our President? Cuz if you're not, may I? MoonMars!” a commenter wrote.
Trump sparked a fact-checking craze earlier this month when he tweeted that NASA should explore Mars, “of which the Moon is a part.” Although it was most likely Trump meant that any mission to the Moon should be undertaken with Mars in sight, he got pilloried by astronomy-savvy Democrats anyway.
Also on rt.com Fact checking gone mad: Democrats tell Trump ‘the Moon is not part of Mars’
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
https://www.businessinsider.sg/tesl...l-time-for-latest-sec-fight-2019-2/?r=US&IR=T
Elon Musk could face everything from a fine to a suspension for his latest fight with one of his biggest enemies
Isobel Asher Hamilton, Business Insider US
February 26, 2019
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- The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a judge to hold Elon Musk in contempt of court after it claimed that the Tesla CEO violated the terms of his settlement with the agency.
- The settlement, reached in September last year, required that Tesla preapprove all communications from Musk – most notably his tweets – which included “material” information about the company.
- Experts told Business Insider that Musk could be fined if he is found in contempt, or potentially be suspended as an officer of a publically traded company.
- A judge could compel Musk to testify in person.
On Monday, the SEC accused Musk of violating his settlement with the agency over his “funding secured” tweet debacle in September last year, when both Tesla and Musk were fined $20 million.
Part of the settlement stipulated that Tesla is supposed to pre-approve all of his communications with shareholders that include “material” information about the company.
On February 20, Musk tweeted that Tesla would produce 500,000 cars this year. He quickly clarified that he “meant to say” Tesla would produce 500,000 cars and deliver 400,000. The first tweet was not vetted by Tesla, while the second was, the firm said in a letter to the SEC.
Following the tweet, the SEC asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt of the federal court that approved that settlement. Musk has until March 11 to explain why he should not be held in contempt, according to Reuters.
Peter Haveles, a lawyer and partner at Pepper Hamilton in New York, said a fine and a strong reprimand is the likeliest outcome if Musk is found to be in contempt of court.
“Tellingly, the SEC’s motion paper did not describe what sanction it was seeking from the judge, so they’re leaving some flexibility here,” he added.
Elliot Lutzker, a former SEC enforcement officer, told Business Insider that there’s a possibility the agency could push for Musk to be suspended as CEO if it emerged that the billionaire consistently failed to get his Twitter messages pre-approved.
“They already stripped him of being a chairman, they could bar him from being an officer of a public company,” said Lutzker, who now works for law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron.
He agreed with Haveles that a fine is the more likely outcome, as booting Musk from the top position could adversely affect Tesla’s shareholders. “It’s a tough situation because Musk is Tesla and they need him,” he said.
Tesla Model 3. Matthew DeBord/BI
When asked how likely it is that the SEC would pursue criminal proceedings, SEC compliance consultant Robert Quinn said it is rare in a civil case such as Musk’s, but if other tweets are deemed to be in violation of the settlement, things could get a lot more serious.
“The SEC takes market manipulation very seriously,” said Quinn, a consultant at Robert Quinn Financial Regulatory Experts in London. He added that the agency “has a long track record of making examples of people.”
Musk might not have the strongest defense
Musk and Tesla have argued that the tweet is not in violation of the settlement because in Tesla’s Q4 earnings call on January 30, the CEO forecast that Tesla would make between 350,000 and 500,000 Model 3 vehicles in 2019.
The SEC rejected this in its filing, saying it was “not credible.” Quinn, Haveles, and Lutzker agreed that it’s not the strongest line of defense.
“The purpose of the order is to put in some supervision and pre-clearance… So whether or not for the moment his statements were accurate or not, he consciously did not follow the rules,” Haveles said.
Read more: “How embarrassing”: Elon Musk fired back at the SEC in latest fight over Tesla production numbers
Lutzker also said that the “substance” of the tweet was not the issue.
“The telltale sign is that his attorney who represented him… resigned almost simultaneously or contemporaneously with this latest violation of the SEC injunction,” Lutzker said. Tesla’s general counsel Dane Butswinkas resigned on February 20, the same day Musk tweeted about production figures.
Haveles and Quinn agreed that the information in his tweet was potent enough to move the market. Haveles said Musk was lucky the pronouncement was made outside of trading hours.
Elon Musk. PewDiePie/YouTube
“He tweets whenever he gets the urge, so I think it was fortuitous but not deliberate on his part that he did it in the middle of the night,” said Haveles.
He added that the tweet’s timing does mitigate against the potential harm it could have caused, “but it doesn’t change the fact that he did engage in misconduct.”
What happens next
Haveles said there will be a procedural hearing, which will involve lawyers from Tesla and the SEC arguing it out in front of Judge Alison Nathan, who approved the original settlement. But if Judge Nathan deems it necessary, she could demand an evidentiary hearing, forcing Musk to testify in person.
Haveles, who has been in the courtroom with Nathan multiple times, said she is not to be messed with. “She is known for being fair-minded, but she is also tough and if she thinks you are playing games with her or misleading her, she will be very sharp in pointing that out to you,” he said.
Musk has a history of mocking the SEC, at one point dubbing the agency the “Shortseller Enrichment Commission.” He doubled down on this on Tuesday, tweeting that “something is broken with SEC oversight.” Musk did, however, say he has that he has “great respect for judges.”
