Saturday, March 28, 2009

Stephen Colbert + ISS =

Here's a bit of pop culture crashing into space science. As you may recall from an earlier post, NASA encouraged the public to help select a name for the new node on the International Space Station. Well, the public heard, and maybe not in the way NASA anticipated. Stephen Colbert, of the Colbert Report, encouraged his viewers to vote not for the NASA suggested names but for the name "Colbert" as a write-in. And they did. In fact, Colbert got more votes than any other name.
Does that mean that NASA is obligated to follow the vox populi and give Colbert his/its due? Nope. The fine print indicates that the agency will take voter feedback into consideration, but may select a different name. Did you vote?

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Space Module: Colbert - Name NASA's Node 3 After Stephen
comedycentral.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorNASA Name Contest

1 comment:

D said...

I think he did that for a bridge in Hungary too. I think they refused to name it after him and went with a historical figure instead.