How William Shatner's Blue Origin space trip can reignite passion for science

William Shatner, the 90-year-old Star Trek icon, will be the oldest person ever to space travel and scientists are excited.

He won't be exploring strange new worlds, making first contact with new life forms or even ordering a crew to raise a starcraft's shields, but William Shatner's historic flight into space Wednesday will be extraordinary for science, pop culture and the future of space travel, according to experts.

The actor, who beamed into television sets and movie screens over four decades as Captain James T. Kirk, will take part in an 11-minute space flight aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-18 craft.

"I've heard about space for a long time now. I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle," Shatner said in a statement Oct. 4.

While Shatner's flight is more about space tourism than science, his trip into the final frontier will be remarkable for a variety of reasons, according to those in the science community.