Tag Archives: NASA

Goodnight Nichelle. Nichelle Nichols – December 28 1932- July 30, 2022

Posted on July 31, 2022 | 1 comment

With sadness I report that the magnificent Nichelle Nichols has passed away, she was 89.

I probably cannot add to the hundreds of tributes pouring in around the world as I write this, but I can say, that Nichelle was a singular entertainer, dancer, and trail-blazing inspiration to millions of women of all colors around the world. She was Magic.

I saw Nichelle briefly in 1976 at the Star Trek Bicentennial 10 Convention in NYC. I was 15, and totally entranced by her. She gamely and graciously answered Star Trek question from the hungry fans, even if she had answered them dozens of times already. She loved the fans, and her time on Trek, and she knew that her experience as Lt. Uhura became the key to her amazing post-Trek life. At the end of her talk, she even sung a few bars of “Beyond Antares” in her silky, embracing voice. What a love. I can hear her voice now:

“The skies are green and glowing Where my heart is, where my heart is….”

Today my heart is with Nichelle. Rest in peace and love, dear incredible woman. Your star will shine forever.

To see a great documentary about Nichelle’s remarkable life, be sure to catch “Woman in Motion” now streaming on Paramount Plus. Beautiful and Touching!

And now, some of my favorite pictures of Nichelle ❤

18 Sep 2010,

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Nichelle’s Beautiful Documentary “Woman in Motion”

Posted on June 15, 2021 | 2 comments

I just watched this last night, and it brought me such joy (and a few tears too).

Nichelle’s story is so remarkable, and there is so much more to her than the Uhura we all love. With her determination SHE was the key to blast open the doors to NASA and the space program to women and minorities; something that is totally (and thankfully) taken for granted today.

With recent and archived interviews, we learn of Nichelle’s journey from a young dancer and singer who performed with Duke Ellington, to actress and icon through Star Trek and through her greatest achievements in integrating NASA and promoting women and encouraging young people to truly employ their talents and truly reach for the stars.

Watching this, I felt I really knew Nichelle for the first time. I just wanted to hug her and say ‘Thank You!’. She is an inspiration for us all to achieve our dreams and make a difference in the world. Woman in Motion will touch your heart and mind with a message of hope. We need this now. This was released in 2019 and is now streaming on Paramount Plus.

Nichelle, thank you for ‘Flying us to the moon’. We love you. ❤

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Posted in Characters, Nichelle Nichols, The Real World

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The Daily Scrapbook: 3/14/13 (October 1978) Nichelle Nichols in Ebony Magazine/1st look at ST:TMP

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here’s today’s flashback:  From Ebony Magazine in October 1978, a quick blurb about Nichelle Nichols non-Trek, real life work for NASA. You Go Girl! Love her.   My late Dad had an enormous crush on her and used to joke that he’d leave my mother and marry her!    Also, a first look on the set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.   I remember seeing this and, although I was happy to see Trek coming back, my first thought was:  “What the HELL have they done to the Uniforms!”  (Jeez, they were hideous, weren’t they?)V2-015

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The Daily Scrapbook: 1/10/13 — Jan 1978- Integrated Astronauts and actual, never before seen photo of Leonard Nimoy!

Posted on January 10, 2013 | 1 comment

Scrapbook is back!  Sorry I haven’t posted much of this lately, but I’ve been busy with family, holidays, and launchingmy home business.

Here’s today’s flashback:  First, from January 1978, an article about real space explorers–This was a big improvement in NASA operations, this was the first class  of astronaut candidates who weren’t exclusively white males–(Nichelle Nichols’ work as a NASA promoter really worked!)  You see a photo of candidate Anna Fisher and her husband William.  Among the candidates, 6 women, three African-Americans, and one Asian, including future first woman in space Sally Ride, and sadly, three of the future doomed shuttle Challenger, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, and Judith Resnik.  To see the enthusiasm and joy these candidates felt at the time is now bittersweet, but we will never forget their drive and determination, not to mention being pioneers of NASA integration.  V1-pg 61

The other exciting post here is a hot,  actual photo of Leonard Nimoy taken by fan Joanne Brooks of Indiana, whom I had met a the Star Trek Convention in ’76. (scroll down for bigger copy).   As I recall, Joanne was a pretty,  tall, blond 30-something mother wearing a perfect home-custom designed blue Trek uniform-she looked great! Spock was her favorite (hence the blue).  I wish I had a picture of her, but OF COURSE my pocket camera wasn’t working well!   I envied her not just for her great costume, but because she met Nimoy at a play that same year! She had sent me this sweet letter with the picture right after the convention. I wrote back with great delight, sheepishly asking if she could possibly make me a costume too, but  eventually I made my own uniform.Hey Joanne, if you’re still out there, drop us a line! And thanks for the wonderful memory!  Letter from Trek Fan Joanne 01 9-8-76 copy

Letter from Trek Fan Joanne 02 copyHere’s a close up photo-shopped version of the candid.  Nimoy is still very much in his ascot phase here (which suited him fine) – always happy to pose for a fan!

Nimoy in 1976 by Joanne Brooks copy

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Posted in My Star Trek Scrapbooks, Scrapbooks, Star Trek: The Original Series

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The Daily Scrapbook 10/25/12 Nichelle Soars at NASA

Posted on October 25, 2012 | 1 comment

Here’s today’s flashback:  Nichelle Nichols gets a decent 1-page article in that new-fangled People magazine about her NASA Career.  Now if only they could have given her a cover!   It should be noted that Trek stars, despite their wild popularity in in the seventies, pretty much never got any covers in weekly glossies.  A shame too, they deserved a little more attention than, say, Donny and Marie, but such it was.

Tomorrow:  Nimoy in Equus

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The Daily Scrapbook 10/19/12

Posted on October 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

Here’s today’s flashback:  From 1977, an interesting mix of articles…upper left is an ad for the syndicated episodes of ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.’ but for some reason back in the 70’s, when repeats of currently airing series were shown in syndication, they were not called by their original names.  ( I recall Bonanza in syndication was called Ponderosa) Maybe it was a legal issue, but anyway, in this episode with William Shatner, it’s is called “Robert Young, Family Doctor‘ which is a total misnomer, since Robert Young is the actor playing Marcus Welby, but not an actual doctor, and for some reason, it’s a picture of Bill Shatner as Captain Kirk, which nothing to do with the episode, although he does play a pilot with clipped sentences! Here’s a pretty hilarious scene, listen to Bill shout “Whoooa look at that green patch down there!”  Then, a postcard from the (then) new National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC,  where they exhibited the original Model Enterprise!  I went to see this, and forget about The Spirit of St. Louis! This was the ENTERPRISE!  However, the engine nacelles were painted bright red, not frosted as I thought they would be.  No matter, it was thrilling to see the real thing.     In other news, there’s another Q&A about which TV show has smarter viewers, Star Trek or Mary Hartman? A mention of TV space parody that ‘Trek fans will hate” and a great note about Nichelle Nichols turning her typecast image lemon into lemonade, and she daylights as a NASA spokeswoman, making promotional films about the space program and hosting tours – Good for her! I wonder how many kids ended up in the space program because of her?  More on Monday!

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The Daily Scrapbook 10/9/12

Posted on October 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

Here’s today’s flashback:  From September of 1976.  Something for those of you who were unborn at the time or too young to remember.  You see, way back in the before time, before the internet and Tweets, etc, there was this thing called a newspaper with many wonderful sections dealing with world events, politics, local news, weather, and since they had such wonderful revenue, they also had room for frivolous ‘entertainment’ news and even Q & A sections on the latest entertainment fads and trends.  By 1976, the canceled  but highly syndicated Star Trek had met its fan zenith and it’s stars were often the crux of this curiosity.  Here’s a question about Nimoy’s dealings (mostly financial) with that Trek movie that Paramount was promising, and goings on about that new space shuttle from NASA that the Trekkies want to be called ‘Enterprise‘.   (Even Gerald Ford got into the Trek craze, overruling NASA to let the Trekkies get their way!)   I doubt they would have been so adamant about it if they knew that it would never actually fly in space!  (ah, but that makes it all the nicer since we can enjoy it now, practically pristine, at the Intrepid Air & Space Museum in NYC)

I was so keen on finding anything about my favorite show and actor, I even snipped little tidbits with mere mentions of it!

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Enterprise Over Manhattan!

I am so happy to share with all of you these gorgeous pictures of the shuttle Enterprise soaring over Manhattan today, April 27, 2012.  These just put a lump of pride in my throat!  I’m definitely going to take my sons to see this when it goes on permanent display at The Intrepid Air and Space Museum in NYC!  And Mr. Nimoy got to see it in person today too! (yes, he’s here too) I’m so happy for him, NYC, and NASA!  This must have been a thrill for him. Lucky Duck!  Enjoy these breath-taling photos! Click on image for bigger size.

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Posted on April 27, 2012 in The Real World

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