Some of Mrs. Roddenberry's ashes, along with those of her husband, will be sent into space by Celestis Inc. at some undecided point this year, according to the company, who announced yesterday that they're proud to help fulfill her dream of " journeying through space with her husband." Celestis — who seem to have cornered the market on Star Trek-related celebrity deaths, having tried to send James "Scotty" Doohan's ashes into orbit last year — is allowing fans to send messages to accompany the couple into orbit, allowing you the chance to finally get that Trek spec script in front of Gene Roddenberry.

Ashes of "Star Trek" creator and wife rocketing to deep space [AFP]

Since 1997, space memorial firm Celestis has been sending cremated human remains into space, generally in Earth’s orbit. In 1999, it arranged to have a portion of Shoemaker’s remains attached to the Lunar Prospector, which deposited his ashes on the moon. Now, Celestis has announced that, by as soon as 2010, it will send more human remains to the moon, thanks to an agreement with two private spaceflight companies.

For $12,500, you can send one gram of ashes from one person in a capsule to the moon, or for $18,750, up to two grams of ashes from two different people. If you're looking to journey even farther from home, Celestis expects to launch a deep space mission by 2011, which will also start at $12,500. But, for the posthumous spacefarer on a budget, the memorial company will continue to offer Earth orbit services for as little as $1,295.

[Celestis via Yahoo! via Scenario Land]