Nichelle Nichols, Gene Roddenberry And More ‘Star Trek’ Members’ Ashes Will Be Delivered To Space On A Rocket
etcanada.comLate actress Nichelle Nichols, who passed away in July, will return to space with several of her “Star Trek” crew members as part of a mission to set their remains into orbit.
Nichols is best known for portraying Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek” and its film sequels. Her ashes will be added to the payload of a Vulcan rocket launching for the moon and beyond.
The expedition is part of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur mission to deliver a robotic lunar lander, which will explore for NASA’s future Artemis flights to the moon.
The heavy-lift launch vehicle will then travel deeper into the solar system for the “Star Trek” tribute. READ MORE: Whoopi Goldberg Pays Tribute To ‘Star Trek’ Icon Nichelle Nichols On ‘The View’: ‘An Extraordinary Woman’ The rocket, which has been under development since 2014, will distribute Nichols’ remains, plus “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and actors James Doohan (Scotty) and Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Nurse Chapel) into a “graveyard orbit” around the sun. READ MORE: Biopic In The Works About ‘Star Trek’ Creator Gene Roddenberry Speaking of the two-stage-to-orbit rocket, Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, says “I’m sure she would have much preferred to go on the shuttle, but this was a pretty close second.” Vulcan Centaur is expected to launch later this year or early 2023.
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