Nichelle Nicols Stars in a 1977 Film to Recruit NASA Astronauts for the Space Shuttle ‘Enterprise’

The inimitable Nichelle Nichols starred in a 1977 NASA film to recruit new astronauts for the Space Shuttle Enterprise program. Seated at a control desk, Nichols talked about the 20th Century version of the fictional spaceship that she flew in her role as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of Star Trek.

Hi I’m Nichelle Nichols but I still feel a little bit like Lieutenant Uhura on the Starship Enterprise. You know now there’s a 20th century Enterprise, an actual space vehicle built by NASA and designed to put us in the business of space, not merely space exploration.

Years later, Nichol flew aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) in a 2015 recruitment film.

In this 1-minute, 59-second video, actress Nichelle Nichols flew on board NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) the world’s largest airborne observatory. Ms. Nichols has been collaborating with NASA for years, actively recruiting into the astronaut corps and into STEM careers.

Nichols also reprised her iconic role in a promotion for the National Air and Space Museum. The film was produced by Nichols’ production company.

Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura from “Star Trek” in clips from the National Air and Space Museum’s promotional film “What’s In it For Me?,” produced by Nichols’s company Women in Motion for the Museum.

In 2021, NASA put together film entitled “Nichelle Nichols: Woman on a NASA Mission” that paid a heartfelt tribute to the work Nichols did for NASA throughout her career.

NASA celebrates the life and career of Nichelle Nichols, famous for her role of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, as she retires from public life.