One of our Slice of SciFi fans named Andrew McDonald sent us this news about NASA’s plans to let those outside the space agency name the new Node-3 which will be heading to the International Space Station soon. One of the choices is Serenity, named after Joss Whedon’s famed Firefly space craft that was in the TV series and the namesake for the big screen feature.
Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Node 3 components during the STS-130 mission targeted for December 2009. Once the cupola is attached to one of the module’s six ports, it will offer astronauts a spectacular view of both their home planet and their home in space. The cupola’s six rectangular windows and one circular window overhead will show a panoramic view that will be unrivaled by any other spacecraft ever flown. Aside from providing a perfect location to observe and photograph the Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation, where astronauts will be able to control the station’s giant robotic arm. Node 3 will connect to the port side of the Unity Node and will provide room for many of the station’s life support systems, in the form of eight refrigerator-sized racks. After Node 3 is installed, the station’s crew will transfer over many of the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) currently stored in various places around the station.
Voting will be open until March 20th, 2009, so please hurry and get your vote in. NASA will announce the winning name in April 2009. Of course we are urging all of you to to go to NASA’s Online Site and cast your vote for Serenity.
Over 83K votes and Serenity is in the lead by 83%, lets keep it there 🙂
actually darcy posted it in the forums and we called it into how to grow your geek. But we are willing to share.
Tim
No, everyone listen! Do not vote for any of those fruity names that they gave you to chose. Serenity? Earthrise? Venture? What is that? Nonsense is what it it. I am begging you, as a citizen of the Colbert Nation, to suggest your own name. And by your own, I mean mine. And by mine, I mean COLBERT! Right now, Colbert is the number one suggestion on the list, but it still needs more votes to beat out Serenity. So please, make everyone laugh and vote Colbert.
I love watching the Colbert Report but we can’t name any more stuff after the guy. He’s already got an eagle and a I think a turtle along with some other stuff I can’t remember.
Come on guys, vote for Serenity. You can vote once a day. We can beat these Colbert Nation wierdos.
Well shucks. Colbert won by about 40,000 votes. Thankfully NASA retained the right to use whatever name they want so maybe Serenity will still get it.
The new name won’t be announced by NASA until April.
What am I missing here? . . . a check of the site shows Serenity with 70% of the votes. Colbert was the top suggestion, but I don’t read that as it having won. Also, I don’t see the distribution of votes . . . is there another link that gives the breakdown?
Just read the article:
http://www.huliq.com/4299/78827/comedian-stephen-colbert-wins-space-station-vote
I am a little annoyed because I think most Browncoats (as I did) looked at the stats shown and did not realize Colbert had more votes (no numbers were shown). Other fans I know basically “coasted” seeing Serenity with 70%+ of the votes.
Hopefully NASA will use better judgment than the people who voted for Colbert.
I voted every day I remembered even though it was way ahead. It was rather neglectful of NASA to not show the number of votes for the other suggestions.
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html
As if his DNA in space was not enough…. Well at least it wasn’t a toilet. I gotta take a Colbert 😉