Suggestion for New Shuttle Name

WLS-AM ^ | 02/03/03 | caller on WLS-AM

[aruanan]

A caller to the Don Wade and Roma show suggested:

1. that spending for NASA be increased,
2. that a replacement shuttle be built, and
3. that it's name be Courageous.

He asked Don and Roma if they could help get the ball rolling. I thought that if any place could get it rolling, it would be FreeRepublic.

[vannrox]

There won't be another shuttle built.

There are afew second and even third generation shuttle designs that are to be used. My guess is that the development of these systems will be a top priority. I hope so.

[NativeNewYorker]

As streets at air bases are named after fallen pilots, future spacecraft could bear the names of fallen astronauts.

[Portnoy]

After the Challenger accident, I always thought a great name would be Phoenix

[Ken522]

When they name the next vehicle, they'll stay away from anything beginning with a "C" ...

[Hatteras]

With all due respect, I'm not so sure that, as an astronaut, I would relish the idea of climbing into a shuttle named for someone who perished tragically in a similar bird.

Maybe, that came out wrong... I am not an astronaut, but if I were....

[BushCountry]

I said this on another tread, but you couldn't be more wrong. More than 100 documented NASA technologies from the Space Shuttle are now incorporated into the tools you use, the foods you eat, and the biotechnology and medicines used to improve your health.

Things we now take for granted, like the common home smoke detector and cordless tools have grown out of technology derived from the space program. More recent technological developments include a miniature implantable heart assist device based on space shuttle fuel pumps and protective clothing that can be used for a variety of applications based on spacesuit technology. The list actually goes on and on...

[aruanan]

I think he was using the word 'shuttle' generically rather than specifically. Anything that shuttles between earth and space will be a shuttle.

[The FRugitive]

I think defense should be the limit of the gov'ts role in space. Otherwise NASA needs to get out of the way and open space up to free enterprise.

[aruanan]

As streets at air bases are named after fallen pilots, future spacecraft could bear the names of fallen astronauts.

This would be a good idea, too; better, in that someone would be more likely to wonder why a craft bore a particular person's name rather than an adjective. I remember wondering why a car was called an "Edsel". I didn't wonder what went into naming the Mustang.

[JustPiper]

How about Free Republic?

[kjam22]

Avenger?

[aruanan]

After the Challenger accident, I always thought a great name would be Phoenix

Phoenix is a great name since it embodies a concept (not that certain other names don't embody concepts, just a bit more evident that Phoenix does). One that would be good with reference to Iraq's statement that it showed the judgment of Allah: Prometheus.

[Spandau]

Astronauts are brave people, but Courageous sounds like a Royal Navy battlecruiser from 1916. I have nothing but respect for the Royal Navy, but I wish NASA would stick with the mythology names for the space program.

[aruanan]

My view is that the program doesn't yield anything. It is not worth the loss of life and the trillion dollars we've spent to take taxi rides for the politically correct.We are just going around in circles for no potential gain to the United States.

You'd probably be a far happier person if you were to trade "views" for actual knowledge.

[Voltage]

My view is that the program doesn't yield anything. It is not worth the loss of life and the trillion dollars we've spent to take taxi rides for the politically correct.We are just going around in circles for no potential gain to the United States.

You mean that John Glenn's space shuttle trips wasn't to discover a way to stop aging in zero gravity and instead a reward for defending Clinton?

[aruanan]

How about Free Republic?

Oh, yes! That would embody an even better concept than "Courageous".

[Bikers4Bush]

Freedom

[JustPiper]

I think Jim deserves a shuttle named after his vision in the least ;)