The ashes
of actress Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene
Roddenberry, will be launched into deep space alongside those of her husband in
a memorial spaceflight slated for 2012.
Roddenberry
died
of leukemia last month at age 76 and was involved with her late husband's "Trek"
creation for more than 40 years, most recently as the voice of the ship's
computer in the upcoming
film "Star Trek" directed by J.J. Abrams.
She was
touted as "The First Lady of Star Trek" and had been involved in the franchise
since its beginning, when she portrayed Number One - the second in command of
the starship Enterprise - in the original series pilot. She later returned as
Nurse Christine Chapel, Lwaxana Troi and the computer's voice across all five television series
in the franchise.
"I am pleased to announce today that we have planned a very
compelling future memorial service for my mother and father," said Roddenberry's
son Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., in a statement. "The spacecraft is
currently planned for launch in 2012 and it will carry their spirits, their
memories, and the message of their life's work into the cosmos."
The ashes
of Majel and Gene Roddenberry will be launched on the Voyager Memorial
Spaceflight Service arranged by the Houston-based firm Celestis, Inc., which offers
a range of memorial spaceflight services, including burial on the moon.
Celestis' next flight, the Earth Orbit Service, is due to launch later this
year.
The company
launched a portion of Gene Roddenberry's ashes into space in 1997 along with
those of 23 other people during its debut Founders Flight, which launched
aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket. Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.
In 2007,
Celestis launched
another group of ashes, which included those of "Star Trek" actor James
Doohan and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, aboard a suborbital UP Aerospace
rocket that launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
"Now, we look forward to fulfilling Majel Roddenberry's wish by
launching Gene and Majel on their own, personal star trek ... deep into the final
frontier," Celestis officials said.
The public can pay tribute to Majel Barrett Roddenberry and Gene Roddenberry by submitting messages that will accompany their ashes into space here at the Celestis Web site.
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