Thursday, March 5, 2009

Name NASA's Node 3 Contest

So I noticed something today on Facebook: A group for the purpose of altering the outcome of the contest NASA is running to name the ISS Node 3 module, so as to name the module the Colbert.
I voted and then noticed the names the NASA has proposed as well as the write-in's. Some of them have a pretty decent comedy value.
Here's the list.

Earthrise, Legacy, Tranquility, Venture, Vision, Hope...all lame. Ignore them.

Serenity, clearly winning. But consider why most people are voting for it. The Serenity is a ship of pirates, named after the pivotal lost battle of a lost war. It is constantly in disrepair, barely kept running from stop to stop and only then by girl-genius mechanic Kaylee. Ok, maybe a bad namesake.

Enterprise. Seriously, stop naming things after the Enterprise unless they're gonna be epic. The Node 3 is an over glorified bathroom and air filter. Not epic. Picard wouldn't even shit in this thing much less captain it.

Xenu. Are you serious? I appreciate the irony of naming something which would have a positive impact on the lives of several people with very public lives after the fictional "bad-guy" in the creepiest religion to be created in the last 100 years...but really? Xenu? On the ISS? Well, he is from space.

Vista. This is obvious. Naming the Node 3 after the worst technical and public relations screw up in the history of Microsoft? Seriously, people hated the Bob less. Do you want this thing to crash and burn?

Buddy. Ok. Makes sense. It fits the purpose of the module. Really nothing to say except IT'S LAME! BUDDY! Might as well call it Bob!

Synergy. It makes sense, matches the purpose, and follows the feel of the names before it. ...It's better than Buddy.

Horizon. Sorry guys, this is way to close to "Event Horizon" for my liking. We all know how that ended.

At least no one wanted to call it Miranda.