Shuttlecraft Galileo at Space Center Houston

[tkdguy]

With Don Marshall, Lt. Boma from "The Galileo Seven" attending the ceremony

 

Link

[dmjalund]

- but we never had a shuttle caraft called gallil-

 

 

ooooohhhhhh

[Michael Hopcroft]

I remember (and this really dates me) that it was considered controversial when the first American space shuttle (which never actually went into space -- it was mainly a prototype) was named Enterprise. There were arguments that the project was not being taken seriously, that using NASA to promote a TV program was inappropriate, and that it was a cheap publicity stunt.

 

Of course Roddenberry probably chose the name Enterprise because it had a proud, well-known tradition in American naval history, most notably as one of the carriers that beat the Japanese at Midway in 1942 and as the long-serving nuclear-powered super-carrier that served in the Cold War.

 

Attitudes appear to have changed a little in the 35 years since then.