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From: lmc@cisden.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: A new Shuttle: What Name?
Message-ID: <500@cisden.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Feb-86 13:20:54 EST
Article-I.D.: cisden.500
Posted: Sun Feb  9 13:20:54 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 21:07:07 EST
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> Keep in mind that the names of most of the shuttles
> are the names of old sailing ships.  There is no taboo
> against re-using the name of a ship that has been
> lost, as far as I know.

I read (in the Space Program Quiz & Fact Book) that the name Atlantis was
chosen by Robert Frosch, because it was the name of his research ship at
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The original name of the first
shuttle, Constitution, is, of course, taken from one of the United States
first "home-grown" naval frigates, the one better known as Old Ironsides
(the others were the frigates Congress, President, Constellation,
Chesapeake, and United States). The Discovery was the ship that Henry
Hudson explored for a Northwest passage with. That about exhausts my naval
lore. Does anyone know the original derivation of Enterprise (*original*,
not just WWII or Stardate 5566899...), Challenger, or Columbia? It says
they were named after American warships and exploration vessels.

PS: The Phoenix was (perhaps originally) a British warship that took part
in the British blockade of Cadiz. I think it was also the name of an
American clipper ship, which might make it a viable possibility, apart
from its felicitous cannotations.

Lyle McElhaney
...hao!cisden!lmc