Ashes of Space Writer Willy Ley Discovered in Upper West Side Basement

Discovery in the Dungeon

• 💡 A building superintendent on the Upper West Side discovered a can containing the ashes of a person in the basement storage area.
• 📌 The can was labeled with the name Willie Ley and indicated he was cremated on June 26, 1969.
• 🔑 The discovery was made in the basement of 2 West 67th Street, a space sometimes referred to as "the dungeon."

Willy Ley: A Pioneer of Space Science

• 🚀 Willy Ley was a renowned science writer who predicted space travel and was born in Germany, later moving to the U.S. to escape the Nazis.
• 👨‍🚀 He was cremated less than a month before the moon landing.
• 🎨 Ley was so respected that Walt Disney hired him as a consultant for space-themed rides at Disneyland.

The Mystery and Future of Ley's Ashes

• ❓ The circumstances of how Ley's ashes ended up in the basement of this pre-war building remain a mystery.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Ley has no immediate survivors, but a distant relative, Dr. Philip Lei, was informed of the discovery.
• ✨ There is a hope that Ley's ashes could one day be sent to space, a fitting tribute to his life's work, or placed in a museum.
• 🌕 A crater on the moon is already named in honor of Willy Ley.