Resting Among The Stars! Actor James Doohan's Ashes Were Smuggled To Space Station 12 Years Ago
Star Trek actor James Doohan's ashes were secretly smuggled to the space station. No one knew about this since 12 years. Doohan had passed away in 2005 at the age of 85. He had always had dreamt of resting among the stars.
It was just a couple of days ago that Kangana Ranaut via a poem had said that she wishes her ashes are not immersed in Ganga but rather scattered on the mountains, because she wants to fly high.
Just when people were giving a thought to what she said through her poem, it has been revealed that Star Trek actor James Doohan's ashes were secretly smuggled to the space station. No one knew about this since 12 years.
"I have been keeping a secret for over 12 years," his son Chris Doohan wrote on Twitter recently and revealed that his fathers ashes were smuggled aboard the International Space Station. Along with that he shared a link to the article that finally spilled secret out.
Doohan had passed away in 2005 at the age of 85. He had always dreamt of resting among the stars.
"My dad had three passions: space, science and trains. He always wanted to go into space", told his son.
Who smuggled his ashes?
Richard Garriott, who is one of the first private citizens in space, did that in 2008 during his 12-day mission as a private astronaut in a plot planned by Chris Doohan.
How did he do that?
He said he printed three cards with his photographs and laminated them with a sprinkling of ashes sealed inside them. He took them along with him as part of flight data file.
"Everything that officially goes on board is logged, inspected and bagged ¡ª there¡¯s a process, but there was no time to put it through that process," he told The Times.
Here is the laminated card that @RichardGarriott gave to me. #startrek @NASAJPL #nasa pic.twitter.com/MS4wv2DJoy
¡ª Chris Doohan (@ChrisDoohan) December 26, 2020
One of the cards remain framed at his home. The other is floating into space, and the third one is under the cladding on the floor of the space station¡¯s Columbus module, where he hid it in 2008.
"As far as I know, no one has ever seen it there and no one has moved it. James Doohan got his resting place among the stars."
@ChrisDoohan just revealed this incredible secret after 12 years. There couldn't be a more fitting resting place for the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise than among the stars. https://t.co/y5qvmigzXL
¡ª Lambda Quadrant (@LambdaQuadrant) December 26, 2020
Chris Doohan said he was told to "keep this hush-hush for a little while¡¯ and here we are 12 years later. What he did was touching¡ªit meant so much to me, so much to my family and it would have meant so much to my dad."