The ashes of Star Trek star James Doohan were boldly sent into outer space on Saturday when a rocket blasted off from this remote launchpad in the New Mexico desert. About 500 family and friends were on hand to bid a final farewell to Doohan, beloved by Trekkies for his role as the USS Enterprise chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.Doohan died aged 85 in 2005, but plans for his posthumous galactic send-off had been repeatedly delayed.Finally on Saturday a symbolic portion of his ashes was on board as a private rocket took off at around 8.58 local time (14h58 GMT), soaring through blue skies to a mixture of cheers and tears from onlookers. Doohan's ashes were accompanied by the remains of former US astronaut Gordon Cooper and those of 200 other people."I feel that I've fulfilled more than two dreams. It was highly emotional," said Doohan's widow Wende after pressing the ignition button that sent her late husband's ashes hurtling towards the heavens."I felt a lot of energy. The only thing that was missing in the launch cabin was Kleenex!"Cooper's widow, Susan, joined Wende Doohan to trigger the launch.

Many onlookers broke down in tears after the rocket was unleashed."After they lost their loved ones, there's a time of grief, and this is the most meaningful thing they can have after that loss," said Charles Chafer, president of Space Services (SSI), the company that organised the launch.Eric Knight, who co-founded the company which manufactured the six-metre long SL2 rocket used in Saturday's launch added: "It wasn't only technical. It was a family memorial - the emotion is here."

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That's awesome! He played as a space explorer when he was alive and now he's really exploring space in his afterlife. Good journey!

Good to see his dieing wish was fufilled.

Ahh, bless him. That's a fitting tribute I think.

When we were on holiday last year, word got around that there was going to be a free firework display for the children, it turned out that it was actually this old ladies ashes being sent up in a firework display over the cliffs to the sea, and she wanted the children to enjoy the display.

A bit weird, but also quite sweet too, it's a concept difficult for little ones to get their head around "so an old lady's in the firework and she's DEAD??"