Gloria Knowlan never dreamt of boldly going where no one had gone before and was content to leave the journey to the 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� actors she came to love, but 12 years after her death, her family has ensured the final frontier will be her ultimate resting place.
It seemed a fitting tribute for the Vancouver mother of eight, whose love of Trek prompted her to collect replica starships and deck out her Christmas tree each year with a homemade alien spacecraft known as the Borg cube, complete with working lights.
A small quantity of Knowlan鈥檚 ashes will be among approximately 250 capsules of human remains, DNA samples and other memorials set to be launched into space later this month aboard a rocket. Launch organizers are hoping it will wind up approximately 330 million kilometres from Earth, roughly passed the orbit of Mars.
The flight will see Knowlan, who was 86 at the time of her death, joining some of her favourite stars. The rocket is also set to carry remains or DNA samples of 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� creator Gene Roddenberry, his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry and Original Series stars Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley and fellow Canadian James Doohan.
Rod Knowlan said he thinks his mom would be 鈥渏ust tickled鈥� by the idea that a part of her remains were going to space alongside some of the people she saw on TV.
He said after his father died in 2002 his mother dove headlong into things she loved, including the show.
鈥淪he was a fan of 鈥楽tar Trek,鈥� of the concept, from the outset,鈥� he said in a telephone interview. 鈥淪he was a fan of Gene Roddenberry鈥檚 and she loved whatever work that he did.鈥�
Gloria Knowlan鈥檚 final journey will take place through American company Celestis Inc., which has been offering what it calls 鈥渕emorial space flights鈥� for more than two decades.
For prices ranging from a few thousand dollars up to $13,000, the company will take small capsules of ashes to space and either return them, drop them in Earth鈥檚 orbit or even take them to the moon as a memorial for lost loved ones.
Co-founder and CEO Charles Chafer said the rocket carrying Knowlan鈥檚 remains, set to take off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Jan. 8, will mark the first time the company has offered a trip that will go into 鈥渄eep space鈥� meaning the capsules won鈥檛 eventually fall to Earth. The journey has been dubbed the enterprise flight, he added.
鈥淚 believe it鈥檚 an awful lot like why people choose to be scattered at sea. There鈥檚 a calling there. There鈥檚 something about the sea that either interests them or attracts them as a location for a memorial service,鈥� Chafer said.
鈥淲e are more and more in this country, and in other countries, focusing less and less on the traditional and more and more on the personal when it comes to, 鈥榟ow do I want my life celebrated?鈥欌��
The capsules will be taken into space by the commercially-owned, and aptly named, Vulcan rocket.
Chafer said the main purpose of the trip is for the rocket to test its capabilities to become the first commercial spacecraft to land on the moon, and his company鈥檚 cargo is being brought along to serve a 鈥渟econdary鈥� purpose.
He said some capsules onboard are being left at the moon, while those that are part of the enterprise trip will travel further afield.
He said they鈥檒l travel for 鈥渁t least a few months鈥� before arriving at their final orbit location.
Ashes belonging to many of the 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� stars have already been part of earlier Celestis flights, but Chafer said he promised Majel Barrett Roddenberry in 1996 that he would eventually take some of the couple鈥檚 ashes and fly them on a 鈥渇orever mission.鈥�
鈥淎nd of course, being 28 years old, and not having any better idea than 鈥業 think we can do it,鈥� I said yes.鈥�
Chafer said trips like the ones Celestis offer only became possible recently thanks to evolving technology, adding family members and friends of the other Trek stars quickly bought into the idea.
Ashes belonging to Doohan, best known as chief engineer Montgomery 鈥淪cotty鈥� Scott, have gone to space aboard previous Celestis flights as well as to the International Space Station.
His widow, Wende Doohan, said being in space is something he always wanted.
鈥淚f anybody had offered him a seat on the space shuttle, he would have jumped at it. But he was too old to somehow finagle a seat on one of those things that went into space,鈥� she said.
Wende Doohan said her husband would have enjoyed the fact that this trip includes fans like Knowlan.
鈥淗e loved his fans. He loved hearing their stories. He enjoyed chatting with them,鈥� she said.
She said she decided to include a sample of her DNA on the flight and plans to be at the launch in person.
She said sending her husband鈥檚 ashes into deep space and knowing that they will never return makes this experience feel different than previous flights.
鈥淭o me, that kind of illustrates the poignancy of Star Trek, you know? Going where no man has gone before,鈥� she said.
鈥淎nd it just kind of feels like it鈥檚 emulating that journey, in a way.鈥�
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