After two failed attempts to send “Scotty” from Star Trek into space, his family is going to try again:
His remains will be among those of 308 people on board a rocket being launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida by SpaceX, a company run by South African-born billionaire Elon Musk.
The mission is also the first organised by a private firm to the International Space Station, and it will deliver a “grocery run” of 1,000lbs of food and clothing to astronauts there.
A capsule containing the ashes will separate from the main Falcon 9 rocket nine minutes into the flight, and will orbit the Earth for around a year before disintegrating on re-entry. Families have paid $3,000 each to send up the remains of their loved ones.
During his long run portraying the chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the iconic television and film franchise, Doohan’s character became associated with the catchphrase “Beam me up, Scotty”.
If successful, the launch will mark the end of a long journey for the Canadian actor’s remains.
One thing can be said for the Doohan clan: They’re giving it all they can, captain.