Greeting my fellow Browncoats… Over at NASA’a website, there’s a contest being held to help name the Node 3 of the ISS… Serenity is on the short list of names being considered!!!
Go Forth and Vote my fellow Browncoats!!!
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html
Yup… Serenity has got a nice little headstart on the other names being considered, currently leads the pack with 66% of the vote…
geeze this is almost as cool as the first shuttle being named Enterprise lol…
A little info regarding Node 3 of the ISS: (ALL text taken from Nasa’a website)
Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Node 3 components during the STS-130 mission targeted for December 2009. Once the cupola is attached to one of the module’s six ports, it will offer astronauts a spectacular view of both their home planet and their home in space. The cupola’s six rectangular windows and one circular window overhead will show a panoramic view that will be unrivaled by any other spacecraft ever flown. Aside from providing a perfect location to observe and photograph the Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation, where astronauts will be able to control the station’s giant robotic arm.
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[li]Node 3 will connect to the port side of the Unity Node and will provide room for many of the station’s life support systems, in the form of eight refrigerator-sized racks. After Node 3 is installed, the station’s crew will transfer over many of the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) currently stored in various places around the station, including:
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[li]Oxygen Generation System (OGS), which takes the station’s water and splits it apart into hydrogen, which gets vented into space, and oxygen, which is returned into the cabin for the crew to breathe
[/li]Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS), which controls the station’s carbon dioxide levels and maintains the temperature and atmospheric pressure at comfortable levels
[li]Water Recovery System (WRS) and Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), which take waste water from the station’s shower and toilets and purify it, separating any contaminants and making it safe for the crew to drink
[/li]Waste and hygiene compartment, which provides a place for the crew to shower and 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.
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NASA and its station partners traditionally have named each habitable part of the station, including its three laboratories (the U.S lab- Destiny, the European lab- Columbus, and the Japanese lab- Kibo or Hope), two airlocks (Quest and Pirs or Pier), and two Russian-built modules (Zvezda or Star, and Zarya or Dawn).
now, here are the rules of the little shindig…
Contest Rules
Participating in this poll, either by picking one of the candidate names or submitting your own suggested name, constitutes your express acceptance of the following conditions:
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[li]No prizes, awards, or any other type of recognition will be given to any entrant by NASA.
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[li]Any number of entries are allowed. NASA reserves the right to curtail abusive activity, including but not limited to, automated voting, denial of service attempts, disrupting, harming, tampering with, or maliciously interfering with NASA’s web sites and the like, by suspending the perpetrator’s participation in the contest.
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[li]The contest is open to anyone. Registration is not required in order to vote. Use of this Website will be in Accordance with the NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices (see http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html)). NASA will not collect any personally-identifiable or private information associated with any participant.
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[li]NASA will take into consideration the results of the voting. However, the results are not binding on NASA and NASA reserves the right to ultimately select a name in accordance with the best interests of the agency, its needs, and other considerations. Such name may not necessarily be one which is on the list of voted-on candidate names. NASA’s decision shall be deemed final.
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[li]The website and all of the materials on or referenced by the website are provided on an “as is” basis. In no event shall NASA be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages of any kind whatsoever with respect to the use of the website. You agree that you are using the website solely at your own risk.
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[li]NASA reserves the right to modify these Contest Rules at any time.
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