Nearly three years after her death, Nichelle Nichols continues to inspire young women to reach for the stars. The beloved singer, dancer, and actress, who originated the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series and went on to play the U.S.S. Enterprise’s communications officer in the six The Original Series feature films, helped bring females and people of color into America’s space program, most notably Mae Jemison, Guion Bluford, Ronald McNair, and Charles Bolden. That effort started back in the 1970s and it carries on now, posthumously, thanks to The Nichelle Nichols Foundation and its just-announced Nichelle Nichols Space Camp.
The Nichelle Nichols Foundation is partnering with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp. Set to be held January 17-19, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama, the space camp will welcome girls ages 14 to 18 and will include such activities as First Contact Mission, during which “Cadets will have the exciting opportunity to encounter a new species. Their task will be to initiate communication in the same way Uhura would, conveying a message of peace and friendship to our new found extraterrestrial friends;” IDIC Class, where students will “learn about Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, the basis of Vulcan philosophy, celebrating the vast array of variables in the universe;” and experience both MAT (Multi-Axis Trainer), which delivers “the disorientation of an uncontrolled tumble spin” and 1/16 Chair, which “simulate(s) the moon’s gravity and (will let students) learn lunar exploration movements.”
Bonnie Gordon, who voiced the USS Protostar ship computer and several other characters, among them a Brenari Ensign, a Bolian mother, and a communications officer, on Star Trek: Prodigy, will serve as the weekend’s Space Cadet Coordinator and Chaperone.
“We are honored to work with the Nichelle Nichols Foundation to continue providing our world-class Space Camp program to a diverse community of young people,” Dr. Kimberly Robinson, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, said in a statement. “Together, we can inspire a spirit of discovery to change lives and change the world for the better through a passion for exploration.”
For additional information visit the Nichelle Nichols Foundation website.