|
Scotty’s ashes sail into space
Scotty’s ashes sail into space
Sunday April 29, 2007
The ashes of "Star Trek" star James Doohan were boldly sent into outer space Saturday when a rocket blasted off from this remote launchpad in the New Mexico desert.
Around 500 family and friends were on hand to bid a final farewell to Doohan, beloved by Trekkies for his role as the USS Enterprise's chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.
Doohan died aged 85 in 2005, but plans for his posthumous galactic send-off had been repeatedly delayed.
Finally on Saturday a symbolic portion of his ashes was on board as a private rocket took off at around 8:58 local time (1458 GMT), soaring through blue skies to a mixture of cheers and tears from onlookers.
Doohan's ashes were accompanied by the remains of former US astronaut Gordon Cooper and those of 200 other people.
"I feel that I've fulfilled more than two dreams. It was highly emotional," said Doohan's widow Wende after pressing the ignition button that sent her late husband's ashes hurtling towards the heavens.
"I felt a lot of energy. The only thing that was missing in the launch cabin was Kleenex!"
Cooper's widow, Susan, joined Wende Doohan to trigger the launch.
Many onlookers broke down in tears after the rocket was unleashed.
"After they lost their loved ones, there's a time of grief, and this is the most meaningful thing they can have after that loss," said Charles Chafer, president of Space Services (SSI), the company that organized the launch.
Eric Knight, who co-founded the company which manufactured the 20-foot (six-meter) long SL2 rocket used in Saturday's launch added:
"It wasn't only technical. It was a family memorial -- the emotion is here."
One local resident, Elaine Walker, said she had placed ashes gathered from the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York on board.
"I was in Brooklyn when 9/11 happened. I collected some of the ashes. I still haven't felt closure," she said.
Saturday's launch followed a poignant memorial service at the New Mexico Museum of Space History, where well-wishers paid their respects to Doohan, who will forever be associated with the catchphrase "Beam me up, Scotty!"
Will Steinsiek, 55, a former pastor, resplendent in a "Star Trek" costume, said Doohan's character was integral to the series.
"In many ways, when we lost him, we lost the Enterprise," Steinsiek said, referring to the long-running show's famous spaceship. "These funerals are a way to reach a dream, the dream to go into space and back again."
Joe Latrell, the president of the private rocket company Beyond Earth Roswell NM, also appeared decked out in full "Star Trek" regalia.
He said the science fiction adventure series had accurately predicted many of today's technological gadgets.
"The cell phones, the memory cards of today are almost identical to the devices seen years ago in the series. It inspires the people to create them."
Doohan's posthumous spaceflight saw him follow "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, whose remains were fired into space by Space Services I (SSI) in 1997, six years after his death.
SSI and its offshoot Celestial offer a variety of services for families wishing to shoot the remains of loved ones into space.
Launching a single gram of ashes comes with a 495-dollar price tag, while sending remains into deep space, a service which comes into effect from 2009, will cost up to 12,500 dollars.
AFP
|
