'Mr. Sulu' honored with his own asteroid

George Takei, the TV actor best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek series, has had an asteroid named after him.

(Credit: CBS Studios)

In the latest example of real scientists paying homage to science fiction, the International Astronomical Union last week honored the actor and his character, by renaming an asteroid, formerly known as 1994 GT9. The new name will be 7307 Takei, according to a story by the Associated Press.

Others involved with Star Trek who have had asteroids named after them are Gene Roddenberry, the series creator, and Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lt. Uhura.

Star Trek, which aired from 1966 to 1969, also partially inspired NASA to name a space shuttle after the show's fictional spacecraft, the Enterprise.

"I am now a heavenly body," Takei said earlier this week, according to the AP. "I found out about it yesterday...I was blown away. It came out of the clear, blue sky--just like an asteroid."

[Pete Bardo]

Enterprise real inspiration

It is true the shuttle Enterprise was named after the Star Trek starship, but, Star Trek was not NASA's inspiration.<br /><br />The shuttle Enterprise was so named following a grass roots movement and letter writing campaign led by Bjo Trimble.<br /><br />"Enterprise, the first Space Shuttle Orbiter, was originally to be named Constitution (in honor of the U.S. Constitution's Bicentennial). However, viewers of the popular TV Science Fiction show Star Trek started a write-in campaign urging the White House to select the name Enterprise." -- quoted from <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html" target="_newWindow">http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html</a><br /><br />It is interesting to note the Star Trek name was used for the only shuttle built that could not fly! Some inspiration...