Late Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols will have her ashes spread in the most fitting place — space.
According to reports, memorial spaceflight company Celestis will take some of Nichols’ ashes into space and scatter them amongst the stars.
Fellow Star Trek alumni will also have their ashes taken on the trip including James Doohan, Douglas Trumbull, and Gene and Majel Roddenberry.
While the date hasn’t been set for this memorial space flight, the journey will take the ashes beyond the moon. Not all of Nichols’s ashes will be taken on the journey, only a “symbolic portion.”
Back in late July, it was announced that Nichols had died at 89 years old. The actress, singer, dancer, and NASA ambassador passed from natural causes.
Nichols was most well-known for her role as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, which saw her become the first black woman in a leading role on a network TV show. Breaking down these racial barriers inspired many generations of stars to come.
Alongside her entertainment career, Nichols became the recruiter in chief and spokesperson for NASA in 1977. In this role, she promoted diversity and helped women and minority candidates land spots in the space shuttle program. While in this role, she helped boost the number of female astronauts by more than 16 times.
You can check out tributes for the late star or submit one of your own on the official site for the flight here.
Published: Aug 25, 2022 09:58 pm