The ashes of actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek, will be sent into deep space by a rocket commemorating her and several other veteran Star Trek actors, Reuters reported. Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, donated his mother’s ashes after he died in July at the age of 89.
Nichols’ ashes will travel into space on a suitable rocket called the Vulcan Centaur from Celestis, the commemorative spaceflight company that runs the “Enterprise Flight” mission. A launch date has not yet been set and will likely depend on the United Launch Alliance’s ongoing Vulcan rocket development.
During the mission, Nichols will be joined by the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife, Majel Barrett, who starred as the series’ nurse, Christine Chapel. James Doohan, who plays Enterprise engineer Scotty, and visual effects artist Douglas Trumbull, known for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner, and more, will also be on board.
When the rocket lifts from Cape Canaveral, it will carry more than 200 capsules containing ashes and DNA samples, along with names, messages and images provided by users from around the world. Celestis will store capsules in the upper stage of the rocket, which will be sent into space between 150 million and 300 million kilometers and orbit the Sun.
Nichols was a pioneer in the film industry and became the first black woman to take on a major role on television.
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