The Ashes of Beloved Star Trek Actress Nichelle Nichols Will Be Launched into Space

Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Ovation

The ashes of beloved Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols will be launched into space on a special memorial rocket flight, along with the remains of show creator Gene Roddenberry and actor James Doohan.

Nichols, who passed away in July at the age of 89, had a remarkable career as one of the first Black women in television who was not relegated to a domestic servant or other minor role. Her groundbreaking portrayal of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series and several films led to a real-life role helping NASA recruit astronauts.

The flight that will take her remains to space was originally commissioned by Rodenberry’s wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry after he passed away in 1991. The original plans were to use a NASA flight that was then cancelled and the “Celestis Voyager Memorial Spaceflight” was organized, with its initial flight designated as the “Enterprise Flight” in honor of the multiple Star Trek luminaries whose cremated remains will be on board.

Both series creator Roddenberry and his wife Barrett-Roddenberry (she passed in 2008) will be included, along with special effects maestro Douglas Trumbull and Doohan, who played chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott.

Nichols’ inclusion in the memorial flight was announced on Saturday. Celestis, Inc., the private company launching the memorial spaceflights, has invited fans to leave tributes to Nichols on their website.

According to CNN, there are still spots available on the initial “Enterprise” flight to include either DNA samples from living donors or loved ones’ cremated remains for $12,500, with reservations being taken until Aug. 31.

The launch will be scheduled later this year on a date that has yet to be announced, and will be part of a three-day series of events including an astronaut-hosted dinner, memorial services, and site tours, all of which will be shown in an online livestream.

Jim Acosta covered the news on Sunday’s episode of CNN Newsroom during an interview with retired astronaut Scott Kelly.

Kelly remarked on how Nichols had “provided inspiration for a lot of African Americans, females, people of diverse backgrounds” and he hoped she knew “how much of an inspiration she was to people around the world, including myself when I was a kid watching Star Trek.”

“She really was,” Acosta agreed, “and for a lot of people who went into the space program.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.