--- title: "Nichelle Nichols’ DNA To Join Gene Roddenberry in Space" description: "The late Nichelle Nichols's DNA is to be launched into space on a Vulcan rocket, and will be joining Gene Roddenberry on the final flight of the Enterprise." date: "2022-08-28" modified: "2022-08-28" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nichelle-nichols-dna-enterprise" categories: - "DNA" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "ashes" - "gene roddenberry" - "nichelle nichols" - "star trek" - "the digest" - "United Launch Alliance" - "vulcan" --- # Nichelle Nichols’ DNA To Join Gene Roddenberry in Space ![The late Nichelle Nichols's DNA is to be launched into space on a Vulcan rocket, and will be joining Gene Roddenberry on the final flight of the Enterprise.]() *\Image: Paramount Television\* ## Boldly Go The late Nichelle Nichols' DNA is set to be launched into space on a Vulcan rocket, where it will be joining "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry on the final flight of the Enterprise. In a [press release]() less than a month after the [trailblazing actress' passing at the age of 89](), the memorial spaceflight company Celestis announced that a sample of Nichols' ashes and DNA will accompany those of Roddenberry, his wife Majel, fellow "Star Trek" actor James Doohan, and a bunch of other spaceflight enthusiasts [on the Enterprise Flight](). The capsule will launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket later this year before heading into deep space. Nichols' son Kyle Johnson is also sending his own DNA up with his mother's on the Enterprise voyage. "My only regret is that I cannot share this eternal tribute standing beside my mother at the launch," Johnson said in the release. He added that messages from Nichols' fans will be flown on the Vulcan rocket alongside his and his mother's DNA. ## Sweetest Goodbye Though this is the first "funeral" flight named after Enterprise, it's not a first for Celestis or for Roddenberry, [whose ashes have been taken into space twice]() since his 1991 death — once in 1992, when NASA astronaut James Weatherbee carried some of the "Star Trek" creator's ashes aboard the Columbia Space Shuttle, and again in 1997, on Celestis' "Founder's Flight," which was the first time in history that human remains were taken to space on a private spaceflight. The whole thing is poignant and symbolic, and we can promise there won't be a dry eye Futurism. **READ MORE:** [Nichelle Nichols Finds A Final Resting Place Among The Stars]() \[Celestis\] **More space ashes:** *[Florida Prepares to Shoot Remains of 47 People Into Space]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()