On a crisp autumn day in 1992, a small portion of Gene Roddenberry's ashes rose into the sky aboard the shuttle Columbia, a quiet gift arranged by his widow, Majel Barrett, to fulfill a dream that had outlasted his life on Earth. Carried in the belongings of commander James Wetherbee, the ashes traveled in silence for two years before the world learned of them. In hindsight, the flight stands as an early threshold in humanity's habit of sending its beloved beyond the atmosphere, a gesture that would soon grow into a commercial practice.
How Gene Roddenberry's Ashes Reached Orbit in 1992, Launching the Era of Space Burials
A small part of him finally got there.
Mark
Why does this 1992 flight still get remembered?
Mimi
Because it was the first space burial. Wetherbee carried part of Gene Roddenberry's ashes on Columbia at the request of his widow, Majel Barrett, and that opened the door to everything after.
Mark
And it was kept quiet, wasn't it?
Mimi
Yes. NASA and the family said nothing until 1994, almost two years later.
Luke
Worth noting the source only says it was kept quiet. It doesn't explain why, so I wouldn't guess at motive.
Mark
Fair. What came next?
Mimi
Celestis began its burial flights in 1997. Some of Roddenberry's ashes flew again that April on a Pegasus rocket launched from the Canary Islands.
Luke
And "first space burial" is the article's framing. It's what the flight is called, but the source doesn't lay out how that title was established.
Mark
What's the scope of Celestis today?
Mimi
Many suborbital and orbital flights, some on Falcon 9, plus Eugene Shoemaker's ashes to the moon in 1999 and a deep-space flight in 2023.
Luke
The piece gives no counts or costs, so "many" is as precise as we can be.
Il Polso
- A grieving widow asks for a final wish to be honored, and the request quietly sets a historic flight in motion.
- The shuttle Columbia lifts off on STS-52 with a hidden container among a commander's personal effects, unknown to the public.
- Secrecy holds for nearly two years until the story surfaces in 1994, stirring curiosity about the first space burial.
- What began as a private favor has grown into a commercial service, with Celestis flying cremains to orbit, the moon, and deep space.
On a crisp autumn day in 1992, a small portion of Gene Roddenberry's ashes rose into the sky aboard the shuttle Columbia, a quiet gift arranged by his widow, Majel Barrett, to fulfill a dream that had outlasted his life on Earth. Carried in the belongings of commander James Wetherbee, the ashes traveled in silence for two years before the world learned of them. In hindsight, the flight stands as an early threshold in humanity's habit of sending its beloved beyond the atmosphere, a gesture that would soon grow into a commercial practice.
On Oct. 22, 1992, the space shuttle Columbia launched on mission STS-52, carrying a small container of Gene Roddenberry's ashes among the personal effects of its commander, NASA astronaut James Wetherbee. The request had come from Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett. Space had been his lifelong dream, and he died without ever going. The launch came almost exactly one year after his death, so a part of him finally reached orbit.
The flight was kept private by NASA and the family, and it only became public in 1994. Wetherbee later said he was honored to be trusted with the ashes and glad to have brought some happiness to the family.
The flight is often called the world's first space burial, but it was not the last. In 1997, the company Celestis began a series of burial flights, and more of Roddenberry's ashes flew on its founders flight that April aboard an air-launched Pegasus rocket. Other ashes, including those of Barrett and actor James Doohan, have since flown as well.
Celestis has gone on to launch many suborbital and orbital missions, some on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. In 1999, it sent astronomer Eugene Shoemaker's ashes toward the moon, and in 2023 it sent another set into deep space on the Enterprise mission. A private favor has become a commercial service with a reach from low orbit to far beyond the moon.
On Oct. 22, 1992, the space shuttle Columbia lifted off on mission STS-52 with a small container tucked among the personal effects of its commander, NASA astronaut James Wetherbee. Inside were some of the ashes of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek.
The request came from Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett. Going to space had been his lifelong dream, and he died without ever making the trip. The flight left Earth almost exactly one year after his death, so a small part of him finally got there.
Nobody was told at the time. NASA and the Roddenberry family kept the arrangement private, and it did not become public until almost two years later, in 1994.
Wetherbee later spoke about it, as reported by Newsweek. He said he was honored to be asked by Barrett to carry the ashes. He added that he was glad he had been able to bring a little happiness to the family.
The flight is generally described as the world's first space burial. It was not the last. In 1997, about five years after Columbia's flight, the space memorial company Celestis began a series of burial flights that sent capsules of human cremains up on rockets.
Roddenberry was part of that first chapter too. More of his ashes flew on Celestis's founders flight in April 1997, aboard an air-launched Pegasus rocket that took off from the Canary Islands in Spain. The ashes of Barrett and of Star Trek actor James Doohan have also flown in space, along with those of others.
Celestis has since launched human cremains on many suborbital and orbital flights, some of them on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. In 1999, the company sent the ashes of astronomer Eugene Shoemaker to the moon on the Luna 1 flight. Another set of cremains went into deep space on the Enterprise mission in 2023.
What began as a private favor from a shuttle commander to a grieving family has become a commercial service with a track record stretching from low orbit to the moon and beyond.
Citazioni salienti
He was honored to be asked by Barrett to carry the ashes, and glad to bring a little happiness to the family.— James Wetherbee, as reported by Newsweek
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