RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin. It's not the USS Enterprise, but it might be close. William Shatner explored the galaxy as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek," and now he'll be part of a real-life space mission. NASA is launching a probe to study the sun this summer, and it will carry a microchip with Shatner's name on it. No word yet on whether the microchip will also have the names of Spock or Bones.
(SOUNDBITE OF "STAR TREK" ORIGINAL TV SHOW THEME SONG)
MARTIN: It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.