The ashes of Nichelle Nichols, a Star Trek actress, will travel into space

Part of the actress’s ashes and DNA Nicola Nicholsrecognized for the role of Lieutenant Uhura in the original series star Trek it will travel in space in the expedition that the Vulcan rocket of the United Launch Alliance company plans to implement next December.

It will be a mission with the aim of bringing the Peregrine lander to the lunar surface to carry out a series of checks before the Artemis expeditions, which will have a NASA crew, reported this Thursday from the official website of the Celestis company.

Headquartered in Houston, United States, Celestis is a company dedicated to sending the cremated remains of its customers into space for 25 years. Now, Celestis is also at the forefront of organizing this mission to commemorate the series’ iconic Starfleet Enterprise. star Trek (1966).

The symbolic one-gram sample of Nichols’s ashes, who died on July 30 at the age of 89, will be joined in the payload by the rest of the other members of star Trek also deceased.

I’m the creator of this science fiction production, Gene Roddenberry; the head of special effects, Douglas Trumbull; as well as James Doohan (Scotty in the series) and Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Christine Chapel).

The Vulcan mission will have a second phase when the Centaur stage is activated and the payload will then be directed to a “graveyard orbit” around the Sun, where it will have less chance of colliding with other satellites. In this safer space will remain the 150 capsules that Celestis will send into space and among which will be cremated remains, DNA samples and messages of remembrance.

This company offers the opportunity to followers of star Trek to send names, personal messages and photos through his MindFile program, available on his website.

When was the idea born?

The idea of ​​including Nichols’ Ashes arose soon after the actress’s death, when Celestis co-founder Charles Chafer raised the possibility with his son, Kyle Johnson.

“Charlie and the crew contacted us to inform us and invite us to participate. The timing could not have been better, it was something truly incredible,” Nichols’ son said in statements collected by the digital tabloid. TMZ.

Nichols’ performance as Lieutenant Uhura in star Trek helped break down racial barriers on television by showing an African American woman in a position of authority. Also, in 1968 she starred with the actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk) one of the first kisses of an interracial couple on American television.

After his role in star TrekNichols worked as a spokesperson for NASA, where he sought to inspire a new generation of astronauts.

Source: EFE Agency

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