When we use our intelligent ash scattering vessel to conduct our space memorials, you might wonder what exactly happens to the ashes after they are released. Do they instantly fall back down to Earth? Will the ashes contribute to space junk? Will they stay up there forever? To clear up any confusion you may have, we have decided to breakdown the flight process in further detail. So, like the clouds above, you can let your worries drift. Aura Flights can confidently say that no harm will come to the planet and beyond if you choose to have a space memorial with us.
What about space junk?
None of our processes contribute to space junk (the debris from space exploration that stays in Low Earth Orbit, or LEO, clogging up this region of the Milky Way). Neither the balloon, the spacecraft, nor the ashes themselves, add to the growing problem of space junk. In fact, we’ve written an article already explaining this further.
We are proud to say that our environmental impact is practically non-existent and that we are a low-carbon company, favouring practices and processes rooted in reusability, recycling, and digital-first strategies. So, how do the ashes released not contribute to space junk?
After the ash scattering
Following their release, the ashes join with winds in the stratosphere, the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere and the home of the boundary to space. They travel around in these winds high up around the globe only to eventually make their way down to the Earth’s surface in the form of rainfall or snowfall. In the end, the ashes join with the mineral dust particles, water droplets, and ice crystals, that constitute cloud formation. Due to the nature of their dissemination, they fall back down to Earth in the form of tiny fragments, as opposed to a larger cluster.
For further reassurance, our custom-made scatter mechanism is programmed to instigate the ash scattering process at a predetermined altitude, close to the peak of our flight. Not only will the ashes be released high enough in the atmosphere to join the stratospheric winds, there is also a guarantee that the mechanism is activated before the spacecraft’s descent. This ensures that our method is fail safe so that quality footage can be taken throughout the flight to memorialise a loved one in the most out of this world way imaginable.
