Plans to ship human ashes, drink container to Moon spark legal debate

An array of unconventional, privately funded plans to exploit the moon, including as a site for human ashes and sports-drink containers, has gathered steam in recent years as NASA pushes to make Earth's natural satellite more accessible. Concerns about possible gaps in U.S. oversight and legal questions about proper use of the moon have rocketed to the forefront. Among the payloads aboard a recent private moon mission by U.S. company Astrobotic - which ultimately failed to reach the moon's surface - were dozens of capsules of human ashes and a can of Japanese sports drink Pocari Sweat. The issue will gain more attention as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration leans heavily on private companies to cut the costs of its trips to the moon. "We don't make space mission decisions on the basis of a religious test," Schafer said.