Earlier this year, we had to say goodbye to a legendary actress, a trailblazer of her time and a universally loved icon. Nichelle Nichols played the amazing Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek , and now her legacy will live on in deep space.
That’s right, some of her ashes as well as her DNA (alongside those of some other cast and crew members from Star Trek) will be launched into space .
RELATED STORIES
A special space flight called the ‘Enterprise Mission’ was announced today.
The flight will contain the ashes of Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan, and Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who played Lieutenant Uhura, Scotty, and Nurse Chapel respectively in the Star Trek series.
The series’ creator, Gene Roddenberry, and a visual effects specialist Douglas Trumbull will also have their ashes aboard.
The flight is being organized by a company called Celestis.
They offer space-bound memorial flights for their clients that can reach anywhere from just beyond Earth’s atmosphere to deep space. They can even launch someone’s remains onto the moon!
The rocket the ‘Star Trek’ crew will be placed in is called the Vulcan.
Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, spoke to Universe Today about the launch, saying, “I’m sure she would have much preferred to go on the shuttle, but this was a pretty close second.”
He also reminisced on the moment this project was pitched to him.
After his mother’s passing earlier this year, he said he “was kind of in a state of shock, alternately crying my eyes out or feeling kind of numb.”
“And then we were contacted by Charlie and the crew, and informed of this and invited to participate. The timing could not have been better, and it was a really amazing thing to contemplate.”
To fans who want to participate somehow, you can!
On the Celestis-hosted Enterprise Mission website , fans can send a tribute message for Nichols at no cost. The site claims every tribute message will be launched into deep space alongside Nichols and the crew.
There is no set date for the launch, but Celestis is hoping for it to take place later this year.
h/t: Deadline
