Oops: Colbert wins NASA space station name contest
March 23, 2009(AP) -- NASA's online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won.
The name "Colbert" beat out NASA's four suggested options in the space agency's effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year.
NASA's mistake was allowing write-ins. Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report" to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.
NASA reserves the right to choose an appropriate name. Agency spokesman John Yembrick said NASA will decide in April, but will give top vote-getters "the most consideration."
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Who cares what they name a room? Next will be the Gates wing, the Buffet loo, and of course the Helu deck :)
Mar 24, 2009
Rank: 3.7 / 5 (3)
The Heechee Rendezvous Docking Collar
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However, after reading Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy blog, it looks like NASA foresaw the possibility of someone cheating on the vote (using bots, etc), so they made sure to include a note saying something along the lines of, "while NASA will take the results of the vote into consideration, the vote will be non-binding".
So, depending on how amusing they find Colbert's little prank, they have the option of ignoring that choice if they want to.
Mar 24, 2009
Rank: 3.7 / 5 (3)
Mar 24, 2009
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Waste and hygiene compartment, which provides a place for the crew to use the bathroom in a way that allows the station to process the majority of the water used onboard so that it may be used again, greatly lessening the need for resupply flights from Earth."
If he wants his name on it who's to argue
Mar 24, 2009
Rank: 4.2 / 5 (5)
In the tradition of Mr. Crapper, I move that all zero-G toilets be call Colberts. Will anyone second my motion?