Lubbock Veteran’s remains blast off to space

U.S. Air Force Veteran Dr. John “Randy” Darby passed away in 2018. A portion of his cremated remains were placed in a flight capsule aboard a spacecraft where his ashes were sent into space, along with 120 other passengers out of California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base mission designed by Celestis, Inc. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for a few years before reentering and burning up like a shooting star. 

Celestis Inc. specializes in planning Memorial Spaceflights, which offers a unique way to celebrate and remember loved ones with the mission of advancing the human condition on Earth and in space. Missions are designed to ensure no orbital debris or adverse environmental effects occur in space or on planet Earth. Celestis spaceflights are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

Dr. Darby loved space and rockets in his childhood and was able to combine his passion for space and medicine when he served as chief of flight medicine at the Reese Air Force Base in the 1980s. His wife said sending his remains into space is a lifelong dream fulfilled.

For more information see Jaxie Pidgeon “Lubbock Veteran’s remains blast off to space” Everything Lubbock, April 19, 2023.

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