NASA Wants Help In Naming A Space Station Node

[Dave Chase]

Given the way NASA marketing works, I'm guessing it is absolutely intentional, AND will never be admitted to.

Just wait till they start building Starfuries for the ISS.

LBH

You do know that they are seriously considering building that design as a worker pod?

Dave Chase

 

[captainjack23]

Given the way NASA marketing works, I'm guessing it is absolutely intentional, AND will never be admitted to.

Wow, I guess people will come up with conspiracy theories for anything that NASA does... :roll:

Me, I'd prefer to take it as read. I'm sure people are reading it as being something to do with Firefly, but I'm not going to say "hey, NASA clearly put that name in there as a deliberate reference to Firefly!" until there's actually evidence for that being the case. And tbh the other choices on the list don't really lend a lot of credence to the idea that they suggested the name because of Firefly - it just looks like it was proposed as its original meaning.

Why yes, you have me there. I am a loonie conspiracy nut. My answer to your question is the equivilent of the face on mars coverup.......

I know enough people at nasa who are SF geeks, and I know that if they put it on a list, and a grey admin who didn't get it agreed, they are not going to admit to it later. Or not. I thought it was just a casual question. read what you will.

 

[BP]

My father built and repaired hand controllers and instruments in the original space shuttle - Enterprise (ok - so it never flew in space either)

The Apollo 13 Command Module was named Odyssey (after 2001: A Space Odyssey – ok it was unlucky).

More recently we have the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft (of the Mars missions this one had more luck).

And there was the Genesis spacecaft (not so lucky)

I’m sure there are others…

 

[EDG]

My father built and repaired hand controllers and instruments in the original space shuttle - Enterprise (ok - so it never flew in space either)

That one was definitely named after the Starship Enterprise - it was originally to be called "Constitution" but a write-in campaign changed that.

The Apollo 13 Command Module was named Odyssey (after 2001: A Space Odyssey – ok it was unlucky).

Nope. There's a bit in "Lost Moon" that explains this, which I fortuitously found online at Google books: this link - I'll quote the relevant bit:

[Lovell chose] Odyssey ... because he just plain liked the the ring of the word, and because the dictionary defined it as "a long voyage marked by many changes of fortune" - though he preferred to leave off the last part.

So no, nothing to do with 2001.

More recently we have the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft (of the Mars missions this one had more luck).

Yep, that one's a tribute to ACC ( http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/overview/):

The name "2001 Mars Odyssey" was selected as a tribute to the vision and spirit of space exploration as embodied in the works of renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Evocative of one of his most celebrated works, the name speaks to our hopes for the future and of the fundamental human desire to explore the unknown despite great dangers, the risk of failure and the daunting, enormous depths of space.

And there was the Genesis spacecaft (not so lucky)

As far as I can determine, Genesis was so named because its mission was "the search for origins". Whereas the device in the Star Trek movies was so named because it granted the power to create living worlds.

 

[EDG]

And I'll just point this out from the NASA website with the name survey (emphasis mine):

NASA wants your opinion in naming the International Space Station’s Node 3 – a connecting module and its cupola – before the two segments travel to space and are installed on the orbiting laboratory. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1- Unity- and Node 2- Harmony.

The choices they offer are:

1) Earthrise
2) Legacy
3) Serenity
4) Venture


Let's see... Unity, Harmony, Earthrise? Nah.

Unity, Harmony, Venture? Nah.

Unity, Harmony, Legacy? Goes with the others better, but still lacks something in the theme.

Unity, Harmony, Serenity? Oh yeah. THAT sounds good. Keeps with the theme too.


So it is any wonder that Serenity is the most popular? It fits their theme very well, it sounds good with the names of the other modules too, and it's an evocative word. (I think "Tranquility" would fit well too).

I think the fact that it also happens to be the name of a spaceship from a short-lived SF series is nothing more than a very fortuitous coincidence - one that may well be piling on the votes, but most likely isn't a deliberate choice on their part.

 

[AndrewW]

My father built and repaired hand controllers and instruments in the original space shuttle - Enterprise (ok - so it never flew in space either)

Well, that wasn't the original name but changed after a write in campaign.

Ok, guess I should read through the rest of the posts before replying, this was already covered...

 

[AndrewW]

So it is any wonder that Serenity is the most popular? It fits their theme very well, it sounds good with the names of the other modules too, and it's an evocative word. (I think "Tranquility" would fit well too).

Any connection with Tranquility Base?

 

[EDG]

Any connection with Tranquility Base?

I suspect it's most likely there as a write-in suggestion due to the similarity in meaning to "Serenity".

 

[lastbesthope]

Given the way NASA marketing works, I'm guessing it is absolutely intentional, AND will never be admitted to.

Just wait till they start building Starfuries for the ISS.

LBH

You do know that they are seriously considering building that design as a worker pod?

Dave Chase

Yes I am quite aware, I also know that JMS said they could use the design for free so long as they called them Starfuries.

How cool would it be to be a real life Starfury pilot, though you would have to start wearing a silly scarf it seems. (What was Keffer thinking when he dressed himself each morning :lol: )

LBH

 

[EDG]

The Starfury doesn't seem to be a very practical design for a worker pod... the Discovery pods from 2001 would surely be better (what with having the arms, for one thing)?

 

[dmccoy1693]

Frankly, I'm surprised that "Stephen Colbert" isn't the top write-in choice.

 

[BP]

Darn you EDG - you got me :shock: ! - Here I am just innocently :twisted: trying to stoke the conspiracy fires and you come along with your darn fire extinguisher!

Actually the 'true' origins behind many names are often unclear even to the ones who originated them and then muddled by 'history' - and while amused by NASA conspiracy theories I never put stock in the bunk… not to say that there aren't problems of a political nature (global warming PR both ways; shuttle tiles done the way they were; which states and companies get which projects).

… original space shuttle - Enterprise (ok - so it never flew in space either)

That one was definitely named after the Starship Enterprise - it was originally to be called "Constitution" but a write-in campaign changed that.

So I also 'believed', though I wasn't really sure - and it may not actually be that it was. According to this site http://united-scifi.com/index.php/grassroots-enterprise-how-the-space-shuttle-got-its-name/ there may have been other motivations

Faced with this deluge of Trekkers, President Gerald Ford casually remarked to NASA chief James Fletcher in a late afternoon meeting, "You know, I'm a little partial to the name Enterprise." Ford did not mention the letters or petitions. Instead, he claimed that he liked the name because he had served aboard a Navy ship that serviced an aircraft carrier of that name. Fletcher then objected, but was immediately overruled by Ford.

It is also possible that Ford preferred the name Enterprise for other reasons. Not only did the word conjure up images of human endeavor, but it also hinted at cost-effectiveness and profitability, two characteristics that Ford desparately hoped to associate with the expensive space program.

Even if Ford had other reasons for choosing the name this does not rule out that the write-in campaign triggered the name change - not to mention that the Star Trek Enterprise might have been named for the aircraft carrier! (and of course this site didn't cite any sources !)

The Apollo 13 Command Module was named Odyssey (after 2001: A Space Odyssey - ok it was unlucky).

Nope. There's a bit in "Lost Moon" that explains this, which I fortuitously found online at Google books: this link …
So no, nothing to do with 2001.

I love internet searches!

I had actually pulled this one from a quick google to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke#cite_note-72 which cited http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/spaceflight/20/names.html (which btw claims that Dr. James C. Fletcher served aboard the Enterprise and that NASA offered the name to Ford! Though a quick bio at NASA doesn't indicate he was ever Navy) I'd tend to believe your book source over the Wiki any day of the week; however, I also found this -

Apollo 13 air-to-ground transcript
Before disaster struck, the specter of HAL 9000 was raised in an amusing exchange between mission control and Apollo 13's moon-bound crew. From NASA's Apollo 13 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription[15]:

CC    Capsule communicator (CAP COMM)
CDR   Commander James A. (Jim) Lovell Jr.
CMP   Command module pilot John L. Swigert Jr.
LEB   Lower equipment bay
DSKY  Display and keyboard
00 11 20 14   CC    Apollo 13, Houston.
00 11 20 18   CDR   Go ahead, Houston.
00 11 20 19   CC    Okay. Looking at our computations back here, we show you about 55 450 and going out rapidly now.
00 11 20 33   CDR   Well, Hal might be a little bit off.
00 11 20 36   CC    Okay.
00 11 20 37   CMP   We have a sign underneath our LEB DSKY that "my name is Hal."
00 11 20 45   CC    I can't imagine how that got there. Just remember, you have to be nice to Hal.
00 11 20 55   CMP   We will.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_9000. With the timing of the Movie to the naming, maybe the book put the spin on things and just left out the true motivation behind the name!

More recently we have the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft (of the Mars missions this one had more luck).

Yep, that one's a tribute to ACC ( http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/overview/):

Yeah that's the only one I truly believed!

And there was the Genesis spacecaft (not so lucky)

As far as I can determine, Genesis was so named because its mission was "the search for origins". Whereas the device in the Star Trek movies was so named because it granted the power to create living worlds.

Haha - you caught me - I didn't even look this one up - or actually think it was related to Star Trek! - I only remembered the name because it crashed (chutes didn't deploy or something)

Funny thing is - the Genesis planet featured strongly in 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' - and you refer to the mission as 'the search for origins' - coincidence - you be the judge!

[P.S. this page will probably end up being the internet 'source' for more 'factual' information on spacecraft naming! :wink: ]

 

[GamerDude]

My father built and repaired hand controllers and instruments in the original space shuttle - Enterprise (ok - so it never flew in space either)

That one was definitely named after the Starship Enterprise - it was originally to be called "Constitution" but a write-in campaign changed that.

Not only that, but the entire cast were invited to the unveiling (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Checkov, Sulu, Scotty)

 

[BP]

So maybe NASA should start calling the Firefly/Serenity cast 8)

 

[BP]

And I think Gene Roddenberry was there too - so they need to be call'n Joss Whedon too!

 

[BP]

NASA has a long standing fetish for cutesy acronyms. If NASA had named the first computers, I imagine something like this would have resulted:

Advanced Data Analytical Machine
- And its successor -
Enhanced Version Electronics

Many moons ago, I used to refer to all my projects using 8-character names (DOS days) – memos, specs, binders, media, directions – all were referred to by this name. I just hacked the name together from the project title and rarely gave it any thought.

Once a manager tentatively (high stress job mind you) approached me just before deployment of a multi-month project involving numerous departments and asked if I was really sure I wanted the project to go out with the name I had given it. I was slightly annoyed – of course I did! – heck dozens of people knew it by that name and I wasn’t about to reprint all my labels and such… then I really looked at the name…

The project title was Analysis Report – I had used the first 4 letters of each word...

 

[GamerDude]

The project title was Analysis Report – I had used the first 4 letters of each word...

So I gather the project name was changed from "Anal Repo"?

LoL

 

[BP]

Figured it would be prudent before distributing to 12,000+ people :roll:

 

[dmccoy1693]

Frankly, I'm surprised that "Stephen Colbert" isn't the top write-in choice.

I don't believe this. I'm watching Stephen Colbert right now. He just said that he wants the module named "Colbert".

 

[EDG]

Frankly, I'm surprised that "Stephen Colbert" isn't the top write-in choice.

I don't believe this. I'm watching Stephen Colbert right now. He just said that he wants the module named "Colbert".

...and oddly enough, the NASA page is taking a while to load up now...