Space burial for Roddenberry

For the creator of Star Trek and his wife, space really is the final frontier.

Celestis Inc, a company that specializes in “memorial spaceflights,” said Monday, January 26, that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.

The couple’s cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys’ remains—and the spacecraft—will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.

After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec 18, 2008.

In case you’re thinking this is a hoax, here’s the link to Celestis’ website. Packages start at $695 for an Earth Rise service (space flight with the remains coming back to earth) to the $12,500 deluxe package where you’re shot into space never to return.