The late Nichelle Nichols, likely best known for her role as Lt. Nyota Uhura in the Star Trekuniverse—which made her one of the first Black women cast in a major role on primetime TV—continues to see her legacy grow, even three years after her death.
The Nichelle Nichols Foundation is preparing to launch a space camp for teenage girls in her name next January, aptly named the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., People recently reported.
The actress previously worked to recruit diverse astronauts to NASA, including the first female American astronaut, Sally Ride, and after she died, her ashes were sent to space, so the new space camp sounds like the perfect way to honor her legacy.
While Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Bonnie Gordon never starred alongside Nichols, she was “very lucky to have met her” while attending the same fan conventions and events. “You could see the joy she felt when meeting fans, especially the women she’d inspired,” she told the publication. Naturally, it felt like a “no-brainer” for her to sign up as a mentor at the camp.
“I don’t think people realize how groundbreaking she was, not just in entertainment, but in science, because so many little girls who watched Star Trek growing up saw that they could have a future in science,” she added. “Pushing these young women to be whatever they want to be, pushing the boundaries of not just space, but science and their own personal discoveries, is just a dream come true for me.”
Registration is open now for the inaugural edition of the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp, which will offer programs in space, aviation, and robotics.
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