Plans to send the remains of late Star Trek actor James Doohan into space have been delayed pending further engine tests, rocket technicians have said. The Canadian-born actor, who played Montgomery Scott in the original TV show and films, died in July, aged 85. Tributes from fans will accompany his ashes on the flight, which will also carry the remains of 200 other people. Flight operator Space Services said the launch in California was likely to be postponed to February from December. "They had an engine test they didn't like so they will do another month of testing," said the company's Charles Chafer.Fans have been posting tributes to Doohan through Space Services' website. Previous "memorial flights" have carried the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and 1960s counter-culture guru Timothy Leary. The remains, which will be placed into a tube ejected from the Falcon One rocket, are expected to orbit Earth for up to 200 years before eventually burning up when they re-enter the atmosphere. There are two price plans for the flight from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, $995 (£579) and $5,300 (£3,082). Doohan's remains will be blasted into space in accordance with his last wishes. He had been a successful character actor on radio and TV before landing the role in the pilot Star Trek episode in the 1960s. Although he became synonymous with the line "Beam me up, Scotty", it was never actually said in the series. The closest William Shatner's Captain Kirk character came to saying it was in the fourth Star Trek movie, when he said "Scotty, beam me up".
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I am surprised they are putting the ashes in Orbit rather than sending it off to interplanetary space. The canister will just add to the bits of junk already in orbit , and with commercial launches starting in a few years may cause damage to the Ship's if they collide.
