Earlier this summer, Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols suffered a minor stroke. But she’s not going to let it hold her down on Earth!
On her blog, Nichols revealed that she is scheduled to be on a special NASA flight next month where she will be one of the first civilians to use SOFIA, the newest state-of-the-art telescope unveiled by NASA.
“I am honored to say that I will be among the first non-essential personnel to experience NASA’s newest telescope: SOFIA,” wrote Nichols. “On September 15th, I’ll board a special 747 with a very specially built telescope integrated into the fuselage, taking off at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center near Palmdale, California.”
“SOFIA is actually a second generation Airport Observatory,” continued Nichols. “The first generation was the Keiper Airborne Observatory, flown in the mid 1970’s, which I also had the honor being able to fly on, and even operate the equipment!”
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Nichols played Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek TV series during the ‘60s, and reprised her role in the first six Star Trek movies. Uhura is widely considered to be one of Star Trek’s most influential characters, as she was created at a time when few African Americans had leading roles on TV. Nichols has often repeated the story about the way that Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged her to remain on the series as an inspiration to others.
In her latest announcement, Nichols also expressed a desire to share her upcoming experience with her fans.
“I would love to share this event with my fans through live sharing here on StarPower, a special for my VIP fans supporting the great causes that help make these kinds of historical events happen,” wrote Nichols. “I’m working with NASA to see what’s possible.”
More information about the SOFIA telescope is available on NASA’s web site.
Star Trek fans, share your thoughts on Nichols’ latest journey in the comment section below!
