In November 2022 I did ethnographic research on a company that sends "symbolic portions" of cremated human remains into outer space. There was a memorial service with speakers that included families of those whose ashes were scheduled to make a suborbital flight and a retired NASA astronaut, then a tour of Spaceport America where the memorial flight was scheduled to take place (it was postponed for technical reasons but I hope to attend the rescheduled event). I conducted research throughout the event, taking ethnographic field notes, speaking to participants, and acting as a "participant-observer" myself. I am particularly interested in how a few grams of someone's ashes can be understood to spiritually represent a full human person, with many families sending up their loved ones' remains in hopes of achieving that person's unfulfilled dreams of spaceflight. This photo depicts me taking notes after speaking to friends and family members attending the Spaceport America tour as we visited the mockup of Virgin Galactic's Spaceship Two craft.

Deana Weibel

Professor of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University

Background: I hold a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California at San Diego.

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Can you describe what you do?

I study pilgrimage, tourism, sacred objects and sacred places (including the idea of outer space as a sacred place). I'm currently studying religious aspects of space exploration, specifically how people's religious and spiritual backgrounds influence their work exploring space (as engineers, astronauts, astronomers, etc.) and how a knowledge of space influences religious beliefs in turn. I have conducted ethnographic research at various NASA centers as well as the Mojave Air and Spaceport and Spaceport America, and spent a month at the Vatican Observatory. I coined the term "ultraview effect" as a parallel experience to the overview effect (based on what astronauts sometimes experience looking at the Milky Way from space).

What is the most fun in your job?

While I love many aspects of being an anthropologist of religion, including teaching students, I find conducting ethnographic interviews to be really enjoyable. I relish the chance to sit down with experts, whether they are studying the origins of the universe, working to counteract the effects of microgravity or radiation on the human body, or incorporating elements of their spiritual practice into work in space, really fascinating.

What ambitions do you have for your space career?

There aren't a lot of anthropologists who study space, and most of those who do come from science and technology studies (STS). I'm excited to bring my background as an anthropologist of religion (with over 25 years of research experience!) to the topic because it allows me to make comparisons between spaceflight and other significant human endeavors that might not be obvious to people starting with a technological focus. For instance, what astronauts bring in their personal preference kits has a lot in common with what pilgrims bring to sacred places as ex-votos (religious offerings), and the idea that people and objects can be transformed through contact with a particularly "powerful" place is shared. This work, as well as my research on how religious and spiritual activities have been conducted in space and astronauts' spiritually significant experiences in space (not to mention my skills as an ethnographic researcher), might be beneficial to organizations involved in human spaceflight, from large space agencies to companies specializing in commercial and private spaceflight.