Science & Space
NASA unveils Enterprise, first space shuttle orbiter, in 1976
NASA publicly unveiled OV-101 in 1976 after a Star Trek fan campaign helped replace its planned name, Constitution.
What happened
NASA unveiled OV-101 on Sept. 17, 1976, during America’s bicentennial year. The agency had planned “Constitution,” but nearly 100,000 Star Trek fans wrote the White House, prompting the shuttle’s Enterprise name.
Why it matters
The naming decision shows that a large, organised public campaign could influence a high-profile government programme’s final presentation, although the source provides no business, market or operational impact.
Source: NASA