Centennial-Based ULA Will Launch 'Star Trek' Creator's Ashes Into The Final Frontier

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - United Launch Alliance will carry the ashes of the late Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel into space later this year.

The launch will serve as the debut of ULA's new Vulcan rocket, and will ultimately drop off a new water-hunting rover on the lunar surface.

After the dropoff, the rocket will launch the ashes of 147 people into permanent orbit around the Earth. Among those are ashes of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel. Also on the flight will be ashes of James Doohan, who played the Enterprise's chief engineer Montgomery Scott. Roddenberry created Star Trek in 1966. His wife played Number One in the first Star Trek pilot, played Lwaxana Troi on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and has had her voice serve as the computer on Starfleet ships since the 1980s.

Celestis, a company specializing in memorial spaceflights since 1994, partnered with ULA to get the ashes on the Vulcan rocket. Ashes of Roddenberry and Doohan have previously visited space.

The mission to deliver the ashes will be known as the "Enterprise" mission.