This is the real final frontier.
From 1966 to 1969, science fiction fans faithfully followed the adventures of the crew of the starship Enterprise as they sought out new worlds and new civilizations on the iconic TV show “Star Trek.”
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Although the program lasted only three seasons, it left a legacy that has spawned films, series sequels, comic books, and fan productions, as well as tons of merchandise.
Sadly, many of the original cast members have died, but the remains of several of them will soon be journeying into space aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket named Vulcan Centaur – a nod to Mr. Spock's home planet.
Traveling into deep space
Among those making the one-way journey into deep space are DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James Doohan, who played engineer Mr. Scott, and Nichelle Nichols, who starred as communications officer Lt. Uhura.
The ashes of the series' creator, Gene Roddenberry, and his wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who played nurse Christine Chapel and the voice of the Enterprise computer, will also be on board.
Roddenberry also took part in the first space burial in 1992, when the NASA Space Shuttle Columbia carried a sample of his cremated remains into space and returned them to Earth.
Celestis, the company behind mission, said the Voyager Memorial Spaceflight, dubbed "the Enterprise Flight" is traveling up to 185 million miles into deep space.
"The Voyager service is a true mission of exploration, sending the Celestis spacecraft carrying DNA or cremated remains on a permanent celestial journey well beyond our Earth-Moon system," the company said on its website.
"This inaugural Celestis Voyager Service is one of the first of humanity to embark on a journey this far from home."
Presidential DNA on board
The flight will carry the cremated remains or DNA of over 260 people, including Douglas Trumbull, the visual effects wizard behind “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and other films, as well as living DNA from Rod Roddenberry, the son of Gene and Barrett.
Celestis, which was founded in 1994, said the Enterprise Flight will also carry hair samples containing what the company believes to be the DNA of George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.
The company said that it "is celebrating the American presidency by symbolically sending three of our nation’s leaders on a journey to deep space."
The mission, which has been delayed several times, is now scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 8 at 2:18 a.m. – or Star Date -299019.38, according to at least one online calculator.
In October 2021, William Shatner, who portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk, the commander of the Enterprise, officially become the oldest person to go to space, when he joined a Blue Origin launch.
Shatner, who was 90 years old at the time, said the ride on Amazon (AMZN) -) founder Jeff Bezos' spacecraft was "revisiting a love affair," but nixed any additional star treks, telling Fox News Digital that that he should probably "let it alone."
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