To infinity and beyond: Hair of former US presidents heading to space

The hair samples of former US presidents- George Washington, John F Kennedy, Dwight D Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan- will be sent to the outer space. are going on a hair-raising journey into outer space, Celestis, a Texas-based company that specializes in space burials announced.

To mark Presidents' Day in the United States, Celestis said that it will launch "what we believe to be authenticated DNA" of the former presidents into space aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket. The mission will take place later this year in which some of the cremated remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and other cast members from the television series will also be included, the company said.

The hair samples of the four former presidents were gifted by an anonymous donor and were accompanied by certificates of authenticity, it informed.

"These hair samples have been in a climate-controlled facility for several years in preparation for this mission," Celestis said in a statement.

Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles Chafer said, "By adding the DNA of these American icons to Enterprise, we establish a precursor for future human missions, and add to the historical record of human exploration of deep space."

The hair samples will be carried into space by a ULA Vulcan rocket which is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and will also deploy two satellites and send a private lunar lander to the Moon.

ULA president and CEO Tory Bruno said it was a "tremendous honor to work with Celestis to launch these four esteemed US presidents on our Vulcan launch vehicle."