How much would it cost to launch my body into the Sun after I die?

Question

Guess I better start saving then

Answer 1

I'll contribute a dime if you go now and avoid the rush.

Answer 2

Good question, considering exploded stars are where virtually every atom of you body originally came from.

To hit the sun, the simplest trajectory would be one which exactly counters Earth's orbital velocity around the sun, which is about 30km/sec. (To see this, imagine you are standing on the rear platform of the caboose of a trian looking out over the receding tracks. The train is travelling 30km/hr. You know that in exactly 3 seconds, you will run over a hole in between the tracks. You want to throw a ball into the hole, and you want to throw it exactly when you see it straight down from you. How do you do it? You throw it straight horizontal out the rear of the caboose, toward the direction you're coming from, at 30km/hr. From an observer standing on the ground, it will look as if the ball was simply dropped straight down into the hole).

I think the going rate for cargo into Earth orbit is about $10,000 per pound right now? And that is at a speed of about 10km/sec. You need to go 3 times faster, so maybe $30,000 times your weight in kg.

Of course, you could do like Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek- creator, who had himself cremated first, thus greatly reducing the cost (tho I think his ashes were sent to the moon - not sure).

Answer 3

Well a ticket into Earth orbit runs about 20 million dollars. Trips to the moon are many times more costly. However, your trip won't need to be as sophisticated. All that you have to do is get out of Earth's (and the Moon's) gravity. So long as you are pointed somewhat to the Sun, after several years your orbit will decay enough to get sucked up by the Sun.

Answer 4

Since we have never launched anything into the Sun, nobody knows. It would me many millions at least.

However there is at least one company that will send your ashes into space. See the source. Prices vary from $495 to $67,495, depending on where you want to go. Note that they only send a few grams, not your whole body. Click on services for details.

It may surprise you to know that it takes more rocket power to overcome the centrifugal force of the Earth's orbit and force something down into the Sun than it takes to send something out of the solar system completely. That is because the centrifugal force is helping you when you leave the solar system but opposing you when you try to go to the Sun. So it would take less rocket power to send your body into another star than to send it into our own Sun. It would take millions of times longer to get to that other star than to get to the Sun, but the energy needed for the trip will be less. And since you are dead, what do you care how long it takes?

Answer 5

Gary H. is quite correct in current terms. However unless you are planning on dying soon the cost to orbit should fall by a significant amount, Especially if we can get a beanstalk up. So just save a little money and wait and see. I am hopeful that the cost in 20 years will shock you by being so cheap.

Answer 6

nobody have ever launched hid body into space he must pay at least 40000000000000 billion dollars u r going to be famous be in gueness world records and many other things that's why it must be expensive

Answer 7

Oh, you should be able to do it for a few hundred million dollars, if you shop around.