No, Trekkies really were the primary reason. The government had every intention of naming it Constitution until the letter-writing campaign changed officials’ minds. Hell, Roddenberry and the cast of TOS were even invited to the dedication because of it:
Sources (from the Wikipedia Space Shuttle article):
A famous event that brought the cast together … Except for William Shatner … who at the time was trying to build a Hollywood leading man persona and distancing himself from the Star Trek franchise because he thought he was the star, not the show.
He must have regretted not being part of that NASA event.
It seems to me “Enterprise” is an excellent name for the space shuttle.
It would be personally gratifying to several million followers of the television show “Star Trek”, one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country.
Moreover, the name “Enterprise” is a hallowed Navy tradition. An “Enterprise” was in action against the Barbary pirates in 1803. During World War II, an “Enterprise” served with the Wasp and the Hornet in the carrier fleet in the Pacific. And the Navy’s current “Enterprise” is the first nuclear carrier."
I don’t know a lot about Star Trek…
But I’m pretty sure their Enterprise was named that because it was a real name that was frequently re-used.
Star Trek wasn’t the primary reason, it was a “bonus”.
I never said it was the only reason. I said it was the primary reason – the important one that made the difference. And it was. That’s a fact, whether you like it or not.
If Star Wars fans had written in to have it named Millennium Falcon , NASA would have ignored them because the name does not fit conventional naming practices. They were willing to rename it Enterprise because there is a strong/proid history of USN ships named Enterprise. These two facts are not mutually exclusive
No, Trekkies really were the primary reason. The government had every intention of naming it Constitution until the letter-writing campaign changed officials’ minds. Hell, Roddenberry and the cast of TOS were even invited to the dedication because of it:
Sources (from the Wikipedia Space Shuttle article):
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JGIgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2595,1284578
https://gizmodo.com/declassified-memos-reveal-debate-over-naming-the-shuttl-1603073259
A famous event that brought the cast together … Except for William Shatner … who at the time was trying to build a Hollywood leading man persona and distancing himself from the Star Trek franchise because he thought he was the star, not the show.
He must have regretted not being part of that NASA event.
I don’t know a lot about Star Trek…
But I’m pretty sure their Enterprise was named that because it was a real name that was frequently re-used.
Star Trek wasn’t the primary reason, it was a “bonus”.
I never said it was the only reason. I said it was the primary reason – the important one that made the difference. And it was. That’s a fact, whether you like it or not.
I love that you have pictures and yet people are still clamoring over themselves to AcTuAlLy the conversation.
You tried to prove it was a fact…
By posting sources that literally show it wasn’t the primary reason
If you don’t understand after reading your own links, no about of explaining is going to help.
Take the L. You’re used to it.
If Star Wars fans had written in to have it named Millennium Falcon , NASA would have ignored them because the name does not fit conventional naming practices. They were willing to rename it Enterprise because there is a strong/proid history of USN ships named Enterprise. These two facts are not mutually exclusive