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The ashes of Pioneering ‘Star Trek’ actress Nichelle Nichols will take flight when released into space from a Vulcan Centaur rocket by United Launch Alliance Later this year.
Nichols – who died aged 89 on July 30 – is best known for playing Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the ‘Star Trek’ television series from 1966 to 1969, and in the sci-fi franchise films from 1979 to 1991.
As the only black character on “Star Trek” during the civil rights era of the 1960s, Nichols became a vanguard of representation both on screen and in space and science. She helped recruit some of the first American and minority female astronauts, including Guion Bluford Jr., the first African American to go into space in 1983, and Judith Resnik, one of six women selected as astronauts. from NASA in 1978, the first year women were considered.
Nichols had wanted to leave ‘Star Trek’ after the first season in 1967 to pursue a career on Broadway, but decided to stay after the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. told him about the impact of his non-stereotypical role on black people. Americans. Before Nichols’ historic role hit the small screen, Black women were often portrayed as servants or in small roles.
His cremated remains will be aboard the first Celestis Voyager Memorial spaceflight, which will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Celestis, Inc. is a private company that performs memorial spaceflight.
Among the remains also aboard the flight will be the ashes of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry; his wife, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who has played various roles in the series and films; and James Doohan, who played Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in movies and TV series.
Nichols fans can send a tribute message on board via the flight’s website.
The spaceflight will travel past NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and into interplanetary deep space. In addition to the cremated remains, the capsules on board will also carry complete human genome DNA samples from volunteer participants.
People can participate in the flight – having DNA or remains of loved ones in a spaceflight container – for a price starting at $12,500, and reservations end August 31. (Celestis offers other trips that don’t travel quite as far, but can be cheaper over $5,000.) Prior to the flight’s liftoff, Celestis will host a three-day event featuring mission briefings, an astronaut-hosted dinner, launch site tours, an onsite memorial service and launch viewing.
All events will be webcast, according to Celestis.