NASA Helps Celebrate Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry’s Centennial
NASA is helping the legacy of inspiration, hope, and diversity fostered by the creator of Star Trek to live long and prosper.

[August 18, 2021: The Brighter Side of News / NASA]
Rod Roddenberry, top left, George Takei, Tracy Drain, Jonny Kim, bottom left, Swati Mohan, and Hortense Diggs participate in a panel discussion as part of the program Celebrating Gene Roddenberry: Star Trek's Bridge and NASA. (CREDIT: NASA)
NASA is helping the legacy of inspiration, hope, and diversity fostered by the creator of Star Trek to live long and prosper.
The agency will observe the late Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday with a special program called, Celebrating Gene Roddenberry: Star Trek's Bridge and NASA – a panel discussion airing on NASA Television, the agency’s website, the NASA App, and NASA social media at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 19.
The program includes introductory remarks by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson followed by a panel discussion moderated by Rod Roddenberry, son of Gene Roddenberry. Special guest George Takei, Star Trek actor and activist, will participate in the question-and-answer session.
The NASA panelists includes:
Tracy Drain, Europa Clipper flight systems engineer
Hortense Diggs, director of the Office of Communications and Public Engagement at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Swati Mohan, lead for Mars 2020 Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Operations at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California
Jonny Kim, NASA astronaut
Coinciding with the program, NASA will broadcast into space a 1976 recording of Gene Roddenberry's remarks on diversity and inclusion through the agency’s Deep Space Network of radio antennas.
NASA also is inviting people on social media to join celebrating Roddenberry’s 100th birthday on Thursday by posting a Vulcan salute selfie with the hashtag #Roddenberry100.
More information about Roddenberry’s centennial is available at: http://roddenberryfoundation.org/centennial
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Tags: #Celebrity_Good_News, #Star_Trek, #NASA, #Anniversary, #The_Brighter_Side_of_News

Joseph Shavit
Head Science News Writer | Communicating Innovation & Discovery
Based in Los Angeles, Joseph Shavit is an accomplished science journalist, head science news writer and co-founder at The Brighter Side of News, where he translates cutting-edge discoveries into compelling stories for a broad audience. With a strong background spanning science, business, product management, media leadership, and entrepreneurship, Joseph brings a unique perspective to science communication. His expertise allows him to uncover the intersection of technological advancements and market potential, shedding light on how groundbreaking research evolves into transformative products and industries.