NASA Unveils the C.O.L.B.E.R.T.

Here's a follow up to my post a couple of days back regarding NASA and their Node #3 module. Well, NASA did cheese out, but only slightly in naming their ISS Node #3. In the spirit of being good humored however, they managed to adhere to the spirit of the game, and give the overwhelming write-in vote of Colbert a real shot at outer space if not as the module name, but at least the name of something. According to NASA: "We don't typically name U.S. space station hardware after living people and this is no exception." Bummer, sure it makes total sense, but still. So what's the next best thing? Naming a piece of equipment inside of Node #3 after Colbert, haha! From the above patch off of NASA's webpage, and no this is not an April Fool's joke, the ISS's new treadmill will be named the acronym COLBERT.

Combined
Operational
Load
Bearing
External
Resistance
Treadmill

Good stuff and shows that NASA is being good sports about it in the end after all. Tranquility was the final name chosen for Node #3 and is in honor of the Apollo 11 mission's forty year anniversary.