Star Trek has been an inspiration to its viewers since the first episode aired in 1966. It would still be another three years before man set foot on the moon, but people were already dreaming of the “final frontier”.
Many scientists, inventors, and creatives have cited Star Trek as an influence on their work. Among them are five astronauts you may or may not know were Trekkies.
Neil Armstrong (Gemini and Apollo)
Armstrong made an appearance at a 2004 convention celebrating James Doohan’s (Montgomery Scotty) retirement. He gave a keynote address where he shared his love for the character Scotty and his wish that his next command would be on a Federation starship.
Mae Jemison (Shuttle)
Mae Jemison had the privilege of being the first real astronaut on Star Trek. She guest-starred in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Second Chances” in 1993. She’s also a close friend of Nichelle Nichols (Nyota Uhura).
Terry Virts (Shuttle and ISS)
Virts has been a life-long Trekkie. He’s stated that the original Star Trek show and films inspired him to pursue a NASA career. He even had a brief cameo in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “These Are the Voyages…”.
Mike Fincke (Shuttle and ISS)
Mike Fincke appeared alongside Terry Virts in the episode “These Are the Voyages…” after they visited the set on vacation and were invited to appear in the final episode. He also filmed an interview from the International Space Station for a bonus feature on Star Trek: First Contact and received a Starfleet Award for his work on the ISS.
Sally Ride (Shuttle)
After attending the pilot episode premiere of Star Trek: Voyager, Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway) presented a communicator badge to Sally Ride. The badge is now in the Air and Space’s collection. Ride was also a lifelong fan of the show.
Bonus Fact
The first Space Shuttle was named “Enterprise” after a vigorous letter-writing campaign. Gene Roddenberry and most of the original cast attended the rollout ceremony in Palmdale, California.
Even though the original series is sixty years old, Star Trek continues to inspire and ignite imaginations today. Live long and prosper.
