Blast Me Off, Scotty
The earthly remains of the one and only Scotty from Star Trek, Canada’s own James Doohan, beamed himself into outer-space from just outside of Truth or Consequences, NM this weekend in one of the first successful launches from America’s first commercial spaceport, Spaceport America.
The ashes of Doohan and 200 other space enthusiasts, including Astronaut Gordon Cooper, were launched into outer space Saturday aboard a Spaceloft XL rocket (made by UP Aerospace) for 15 minute, 72 mile high flight. The flight, which cost each "passenger" $495, was arranged by the Houston-based, Space Services, Inc. (the same company that put the ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in to the sky in 1997) and ended in a parachute ride back to earth. According to Reuters, "Capsules containing the ashes are retrieved, mounted on plaques and given back to relatives."
The coverage of Scotty’s lift-off has been pretty wide, including some coverage in Scottish papers and, not surprisingly, a bevy of stories from the area surrounding America’s spaceport.
We’re working to find a YouTube of the lift-off, but, for now, be sure to check out the QuickTime version of the launch on the UP Aerospace website.
