Stephen Hawking’s Voice Was Beamed to a Black Hole During His Funeral
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/kzkymn/stephen-hawkings-voice-was-beamed-to-a-black-hole-during-his-funeral
Family, friends, and fans of Stephen Hawking gathered in London on Friday to bid farewell to the renowned physicist, who died on March 14 at the age of 76. Hawking was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, near the tombs of fellow British science luminaries Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, an honor commensurate with the enormous impact of Hawking’s life and work on the world.
But while his earthly remains have now been interred for posterity, there was also an unearthly component to the funeral service. A six-minute recording of Hawking advocating for planetary preservation, arranged with music by Greek musician Vangelis, was transmitted into space by a European Space Agency dish in Spain during the ceremony. The composition, entitled “The Stephen Hawking Tribute,” does not appear to be available to the public yet, but a CD copy was given to the funeral guests.