Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols set to have ashes blasted into space in special DNA ‘mission’

Star Trek Nichelle Nichols ashes will 'reach the final frontier as early as this year' as her ashes are set to blast into space following her death last month

Star Trek legend Nichelle Nicholas is set to have her ashes blasted into space following her death.

The iconic actress passed away aged 89 of natural causes in late July, but she will finally fulfil her dreams of reaching space as her ashes and DNA will be flown into the outer sphere as part of a special 'Enterprise mission'.

The much-loved actress - who starred as Lieutenant Uhura in the iconic franchise - is set to have her 'symbolic samples' flown 'beyond the moon'.

Nichelle's ashes will 'reach the final frontier as early as this year' according to news site Universe Today.

United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur mission is set to deliver a robotic lunar lander as soon as December in order to scout for NASA's future Artemis flights to the moon.

Nichelle's ashes will 'reach the final frontier as early as this year'

Image:

( CBS via Getty Images)

They will then deliver the ashes and DNA samples deeper into the solar system after.

Nichelle served for many years as a Nasa recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps.

Nichelle's son Kyle Johnson announced her death in a moving statement last month.

He said: "Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World.

"I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years.

Nichelle's son Kyle Johnson announced her death in a moving statement last month

Image:

( CBS via Getty Images)

"Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration."

Her son's statement continued: "Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.

"I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further."

Concluding his post, and referencing a famous Star Trek quote, Kyle said: "Live Long and Prosper."

Nichelle made history when she shared the first interracial kiss ever aired on TV, with white actor William Shatner.

The ground breaking actress played the ship's communication officer in the space opera series, which first aired in 1966, and concluded in 1969, it's impact lasting for decades.

Hers was one of the first large roles for a black woman in a US TV show, and she broke stereotypes that had limited black female actors.

She often recalled how the Rev Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

Like other original cast members, Nichols also appeared in six big-screen spinoffs, starting in 1979 with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and at Star Trek fan conventions.

More recently, she had a recurring role on television’s Heroes, playing the great-aunt of a young boy with mystical powers.

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