Topic: Say goodbye to Scotty

[Captain Pierce]

From Trek Today:

The ashes of James Doohan will be launched into space along with tributes from his fans.

StarTrek.com has a link to a page at Space Services Inc. where fans can leave a tribute to be recorded on a CD that will be launched with the actors of the Scotty actor, who died on July 20th, the anniversary of the first moon walk. Messages of 500 characters or less will be recorded through November 15th.

The spaceflight is scheduled for December, though the launch schedule is contingent on a variety of weather and government factors. Space Services Inc. announced that the memorial flight on Falcon I that will carry Doohan's ashes has been cleared for a launch window of December 6-12 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California. There will be a public memorial for Doohan in Lompoc one day prior to the launch. The rocket will also carry the ashes of over 150 others, including original series writer-producer John Meredyth Lucas. SSI previously carried Gene Roddenberry's remains into space.

The actor's widow, Wende Doohan, wrote that Doohan "would have given almost anything to be able to actually go into space" and had said he would ride NASA's space shuttle in a heartbeat. Only a portion of his ashes will make the flight into space, while the rest have been scattered over Puget Sound, Washington. The Falcon I rocket will also carry a tactical communications satellite.