The Navajo Nation, America's largest Indigenous tribe, has raised serious concerns over the presence of human cremated remains on a lunar lander vehicle, calling the mission a "desecration" of the Moon. The Navajo Nation, America's largest Indigenous tribe, has raised concerns over the presence of human cremated remains on the lander vehicle, calling the mission a "desecration" of the Moon which holds a sacred place in their culture. "The act of depositing human remains and other materials, which could be perceived as discards in any other location, on the Moon is tantamount to desecration of this sacred space." NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration Joel Kearns said Thursday an intergovernmental team had arranged a meeting with the Navajo Nation, but added the agency had no control over its private partner's payloads. "We take concerns expressed from the Navajo Nation very, very, seriously, and we think we're going to be continuing on this conversation," Kearns told reporters.

Source: Daily Nation January 04, 2024 23:10 UTC