On Oct. 22, 1992, the space shuttle Columbia launched into space with the ashes of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek," aboard.
During mission STS-52, NASA astronaut and shuttle commander James Wetherbee brought a small container with a portion of Roddenberry's ashes into space as part of his personal effects at the request of Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett. It was Roddenberry's lifelong dream to go to space, but he never got to go while he was alive.
But thanks to his wife, a little bit of Roddenberry finally made it to space almost exactly one year after his death. NASA and his family didn't tell anyone about it until almost two years later in 1994.
Wetherbee said he was "honored to be asked" by Barrett to carry Roddenberry's ashses on the spaceflight. "...
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