Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Scotty’s Ashes Don’t Quite Make It Into Orbit

I don’t know why I’m so genuinely sad about this, but I am. Like, reading it hurt my little evil heart.

Actor James Doohan — who played Scotty on Star Trek — was one of 208 people whose ashes were supposed to be sent out to orbit in space following Saturday’s launch of Spacex’s Falcon 1.

Unfortunately, there were technical problems with the rocket, and flight contact was lost only three minutes into the flight. So his ashes never made it into orbit.

This is the third failed attempt by Spacex — a private space flight company — to put a rocket into orbit. Spacex has sent a ship out to try to recover some of the lost payload, but the ship will likely be focused on tracking down the three satellites — from the DoD and NASA — that were on board, and not on finding Scotty’s ashes.

I used to work down the street from Spacex. It was one of the 8000 aerospace companies clustered in the tiny town of El Segundo, California, where I worked in my former life. I remember it. It wasn’t on one of the main streets, really. It was kind of on a little side street, a tiny, white, run-down building, set low to the ground with blocked-out windows, and just a big “Spacex” sign out front. I was like, “Eh, whatever they’re doing in there, it’s probably not going to work.”

This makes me so sad. I wish this had been able to happen for James Doohan. I met the man once, less than a year before he died. He was amazing and gracious, and he wanted this so badly. You’re in orbit in my heart, Mr. Doohan!

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