A Bremerton woman is honoring her late husband’s life by sending him on a final, celestial journey before his cremains turn into a shooting star.
John L. Strachan, a former pilot and Kitsap County deputy, had always longed to reach Mars and will be among the passengers aboard the Serenity Flight in April. Strachan’s remains will be placed aboard ABOVE Space’s Prometheus Spark satellite, where they will remain in low Earth orbit for nearly a decade before reentering the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up harmlessly as a shooting star.
Born and raised in Washington, Strachan’s adventurous spirit took him from the skies of Washington to Arizona and to his cherished Hervey Bay, Australia, where he liked to think of himself as an “Australian-American.” As a pilot and flight instructor, Strachan’s love of flying was matched only by his ambition to explore space—especially Mars.
“He always talked about going to outer space, especially when he heard about the Blue Origin and Elon Musk flights,” said his widow, Janet. “I knew he would be so stoked about this opportunity. He would’ve been so happy.”
Strachan’s wife said she thinks others would be interested in doing the same thing. “People don’t realize you can do this for someone who loved flying and always dreamed of outer space. If others knew this was an option, I think they’d choose it too for a loved one like that.”
Deputy Strachan’s life was cut short after he was accidentally shot in the neck by an off-duty Poulsbo police officer in 1977, was paralyzed and eventually died. Yet, even in the face of adversity, Strachan’s infectious laughter and positive outlook never wavered, Janet said. “He was such a good human being. He always looked out for people, especially the kids in the community. He would take them under his wing, and give them rides home when their parents didn’t show up.”
The memorial spaceflight, organized by Celestis, Inc., will launch from Cape Canaveral, FLA, and send Strachan’s cremated remains into Earth’s orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Serenity Flight will be part of Celestis’ 12th Earth orbit mission and will be launched into space by ABOVE Space through SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare program.
Charles M. Chafer, co-founder and CEO of Celestic, touched on the company’s mission and the growing interest in memorial spaceflights. “The idea…traces back to science fiction books in the 1800s,” Chafer said. “We officially began offering the service in the mid-1990s, and since then, the demand has steadily grown. People are increasingly looking for alternatives to traditional memorial services, opting for celebrations of life that reflect their loved one’s passions, like space exploration.”
Celestis is the global leader in Memorial Spaceflight Services. Since its founding in 1994, Celestis has launched 23 memorial flights. The company’s services include options for suborbital, earth orbit, lunar and interplanetary spaceflights.
This mission marks Celestis’ 24th. The Serenity Flight’s name reflects the peace and fulfillment the company hopes to offer to the families of those memorialized. For details go to www.celestis.com.