Will NASA’s next node be named for Steven Colbert?
After a massive Web-based grassroots groundswell for naming the next space station node after him, Steven Colbert’s tongue remains firmly in his cheek as the naming of the winner approaches.
It is, however, completely true that NASA astronaut Sunita Williams will appear Tuesday on “The Colbert Report” to unveil the name of the newest node for the International Space Station, according to a CNET story. All of this has its origins in a contest that NASA organized earlier this year on the NASA site to let site visitors choose the name for the next node of the International Space Station.
The contest involved selecting the name from a list determined by NASA, and including the choices Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity, and Venture. For better or for worse, they also allowed site visitors to suggest other names for the new space station addition. Colbert grabbed this opportunity to promote his name as the moniker for the new node, and used his television show to exhort his watchers to visit the site and “suggest” his name. Colbert the write-in candidate quickly became Colbert the contest winner.
Colbert is well known for his ability to generate buzz and activity among his large audience. He has garnered support among his fan base for such varied activities as changing the Wikipedia entry on elephants and electing Colbert President of the United States. For his part, Colbert recently had this to say: “I certainly hope NASA does the right thing. Just kidding, I hope they name it after me.”
The space station node in question, currently know as Node 3, is a “pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station’s life support systems,” according to NASA. Those facilities include oxygen generation, temperature and pressure controls, urine reclamation, and shower and toilet facilities. Node 3 is set to launch in late 2009.
It is widely believed that NASA will go with the name Serenity, which drew the most support from the original list of candidates. However, since the winner will be announced on Colbert’s show, it makes sense that there must be a tie-in somewhere. Perhaps the best rumor is the one that suggests that either the urine reclamation facility or the toilet will be named for Colbert.
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April 12th, 2009
Never heard of Colbert…he must not be THAT important…