Proposed Space Shuttle Names

bucky74

bucky74

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The story of how the Enterprise was almost named the Constitution before Trekkies suggested the former is widely published, but is there any more information regarding proposed titles for the other orbiters?
 
Orbiter Endeavour was name to honor the British exploration ship HMS Endeavour and Apollo 15 CSM with same name.

Orbiter Columbia was named after exploration ship Columbia and Apollo 11 CSM with same name.

Orbiter Challenger was named after exploration ship HMS Challenger and Apollo 17 CSM.

Orbiter Atlantis was named after US exploration ship RV Atlantis

Orbiter Discovery was named after the British exploration ship HMS Discovery.

Test article OV-098 was buy for the Great Space Shuttle Exhibition in Tokyo, labeled there as Pathfinder
now on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
Thanks Michel! Was also wondering about any unused names that were suggested. I think that one of the orbiter names was chosen via a grade school contest.

Interestingly enough, I just found out about Pathfinder a few weeks ago. For years I was baffled by an old magazine picture showing an orbiter sitting near the VAB - apparently that was it!
 
From Robert Pearlman at Collectspace.com:

With credit to Valerie Neal, here is the list per a May 26, 1978 memo from the Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems (John Yardley) to the Director, Public Affairs on the subject: Recommended Orbiter Names.

Recommendations by an ad hoc committee on names for Space Shuttle Orbiters; chose "names having significant relationship to the heritage of the United States or to the Shuttle's mission of exploration."

Recommended List of Orbiter Names
(In descending order of preference)

Constitution
Independence
America
Constellation
Enterprise [reserved for possible 5th orbiter, to carry on OV-101's name]
Discoverer
Endeavour
Liberty
Freedom
Eagle
Kitty Hawk
Pathfinder
Adventurer
Prospector
Peace
Click to expand...

Source:
http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum30/HTML/000317.html
 
i remember reading they were to have city names like city of corpus christie
 
Should name them after popular space themed songs. Each ship will have its own theme song and plenty of commercialisable advertising opportunities. Now that is something to get the politicians motivated.

Across The Universe (The Beatles)
Supersonic Rocket Ship (The Kinks)
Silver Machine (Hawkwind)
Space Cowboy (Steve Miller Band)
Rocket Man (Elton John)
Space Is the Place (Sun-Ra)
Chase the Devil (Max Romeo)
Motorway to Roswell (Pixies)
Man on the Moon (REM)
Intergalactic (Beastie Boys)
Subterranean Homesick Alien (Radiohead)
Another Girl, Another Planet (The Only Ones)

And of course the David Bowie class space shuttles:

Space Oddity
Starman
Loving the Alien
Life on Mars
 
Question regarding OV-104: how did the name "Atlantis" come to be selected?

I understand the origin of the name, but can't find any documentation as to how the name of a 1930s research ship came to be proposed and chosen over more historically-famous or renowned vessels.
 
must be this RV-Atlantis
www.whoi.edu

R/V Atlantis, 1931-1964

Atlantis was the first Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel and the first ship built specifically for interdisciplinary research in marine biology, marine geology and physical oceanography. The "A-boat" made 299 cruises and covered 700,000 miles during its 33-year career. In...
www.whoi.edu www.whoi.edu
 
Michel Van said:
must be this RV-Atlantis
www.whoi.edu

R/V Atlantis, 1931-1964

Atlantis was the first Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel and the first ship built specifically for interdisciplinary research in marine biology, marine geology and physical oceanography. The "A-boat" made 299 cruises and covered 700,000 miles during its 33-year career. In...
www.whoi.edu www.whoi.edu
Click to expand...

It was, which led to my question. Not to knock the Atlantis' contribution to oceanography over 30 years, but it was a remarkably obscure ship to which to give tribute. 'Why' is the question rather than 'what'.

Even when it was launched the RV Atlantis was outdated, being a sailing ship at the mercy of the weather - because someone felt that was 'purer' for a research ship. Hardly a role model for a spacecraft.

What other names were considered for '104 and how did that become the winner?
 
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In the beginning the astronauts were the ones who named their spacecraft, until Gus Grisson named his Gemini capsule, the Molly Brown. NASA did not like the name and when they asked him to change it, he said 'would the Titanic be better.' Since then NASA has been responsible for naming their manned spacecraft.
 
Apollo 9: Gumdrop (CM) and Spider (LM).
Apollo 10: Snoopy (LM) and Charlie Brown (CM).
The use of the dog was also appropriate since, in the comic strip, Snoopy had journeyed to the Moon the year before, thus defeating, according to [Charles] Schulz, "the Americans, the Russians, and that stupid cat next door"
Click to expand...

Chosen by the crew :)
 
Dynoman said:
In the beginning the astronauts were the ones who named their spacecraft, until Gus Grisson named his Gemini capsule, the Molly Brown. NASA did not like the name and when they asked him to change it, he said 'would the Titanic be better.' Since then NASA has been responsible for naming their manned spacecraft.
Click to expand...
Chicken(s)...
 
Dynoman said:
In the beginning the astronauts were the ones who named their spacecraft, until Gus Grisson named his Gemini capsule, the Molly Brown. NASA did not like the name and when they asked him to change it, he said 'would the Titanic be better.' Since then NASA has been responsible for naming their manned spacecraft.
Click to expand...
the context
Gus Grisson Mercury capsule had after landing a malfunction and sank, while Grisson almost drown.
For Gemini Capsule Grisson name it after the Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. about fictional survivor of HMS Titanic.
After NASA "Thiz iz Not Funnie" Grissom proposed Titanic, in end they use Molly Brown as call sign for Gemini 3...
 
If I remember it right, Michael Collins also said that the crew named the two Apollo 11 spacecraft. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that, up until the reusable Orbiters, the crew could choose, but NASA had final approval of the name of spacecraft?
 
I believe these were nicknames (or "code names") chosen by the astronaut crews, but not endorsed or designated by NASA. NASA did have a Project Designation Committee that was responsible for naming or accepting all NASA project names in the early to mid 1960's. According to the NASA publication, Origins of NASA Names, there was a formal process for naming spacecraft and launch vehicles, however some "evolved somewhat casually and were officially adopted after their use had become widespread" (SP-4402 Origins of NASA Names, 1976, pg. vii).

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From the work SP-4402 Origins of NASA Names, 1976, pg. 100.
 
phantomphan said:
If I remember it right, Michael Collins also said that the crew named the two Apollo 11 spacecraft. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that, up until the reusable Orbiters, the crew could choose, but NASA had final approval of the name of spacecraft?
Click to expand...
The Apollo 11 crew wanted to name theirs Snow Cone (CSM) and Haystack (LM) before NASA told them to be serious with the names.
 

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