"Beam Me Up, Scotty!"

Evidently "Star Trek" actor James "Scotty" Doohan took the catchphrase "beam me up" very seriously--his cremated remains are being launched into space in accord with his last wishes.

Space Services Inc., a commerical launch operator, is due to send the late actor's remains into space aboard its Explorers Flight as early as December 6th, a company spokeswoman said Friday.

Doohan, who portrayed feisty chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the "Star Trek" television series, died in July at age 85. On the program, when Capt. James Kirk ventured off the spaceship Enterprise and faced peril, he would ask Scotty to "beam" his body up to the safety of the ship.

To mark the flight into his final frontier, Doohan's family will hold a service for fans on a 60-acre site near Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on the day of the launch to pay tribute to him. Some fans are expected to attend in the formal white suit of a Star Fleet commander.

photo & story courtesy of msnbc.com