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That Famous Space Shuttle Rollout Pic

ZapBrannigan

ZapBrannigan

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A while back there was some uncertainty around here as to the when-and-where of this occasion:

Space_Shuttle%201976%20enterprise%20rollout_zpsd86dcmoy.jpg


I can't remember if that was resolved, but in case it wasn't, I just found a newspaper clipping in my (paper) files that documents the rollout. It happened in Palmdale, CA on Friday, September 17, 1976, as reported in the Saturday morning edition ("Mr. Spock Helps Unveil Space Shuttle").

I always pictured this happening in Florida, but California makes more sense given how many Star Trek people were able to attend. And now we know the exact day.
 
Yep, that's what I remember 1976 looking like: leisure suits, drab tones, shaggy haircuts, bell-bottoms. I think De Kelley's outfit is the clear winner here.

I first recall seeing this picture in one of my model rocketry newsletters. It was, and still is, glorious.
 
Something else interesting in what this pic represents. Star Trek, a three season tv series that had been cancelled, had grown enormously popular and enough through reruns that its influence could be acknowledged by the government. Its recognition evidenced by the presence of the group of people seen in this photo.

And this is three years before TMP and the beginning of the film franchise and ten years before TNG and the run of spinoffs. In the mid '70s the franchise was TOS, TAS, some books, comics, models and toys.
 
alensatemybuick said:
The significance of the date is Sept 17th is "Constitution Day", and that was originally to be the name of the shuttle test vehicle.
Click to expand...

And to reiterate something I've gotten curiously worried about lately: there's a surprising lack of primary documentation to say ``Constitution'' was ever planned for the name for any orbiter. Indeed, I think the preponderance of evidence suggests NASA wasn't planning to name the orbiters anything until Trimble and Hoagland got the Trekkies all riled up.
 
There's a surprising lack of primary documentation to say ``Constitution'' was ever planned for the name for any orbiter.
Click to expand...
There is memo from May 1978 where something like 15 names were proffered for the upcoming spaceworthy shuttles, listed in order of preference, and Constitution was at the very top.
 
The mockup previous to this one was named "pathfinder."

NASA does tend to given names to space vehicles, the idea that NASA originally wasn't going to give names to any of the actual shuttles makes no sense.
 
Command Module / Lunar Module Names (names highlighted that were either later used of considered for shuttles):

Apollo 11: Columbia / Eagle
Apollo 12: Yankee Clipper / Intrepid
Apollo 13: Odyssey / Aquarius
Apollo 14: Kitty Hawk / Antares
Apollo 15: Endeavor / Falcon
Apollo 16: Casper / Orion
Apollo 17: America / Challenger

Per May 26, 1978 memo from the Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems (John Yardley) to the Director, Public Affairs on the subject: Recommended Orbiter Names. Recommendations by an ad hoc committee on names for Space Shuttle Orbiters; chose "names having significant relationship to the heritage of the United States or to the Shuttle's mission of exploration."

Recommended List of Orbiter Names
(In descending order of preference)
  1. Constitution
  2. Independence
  3. America
  4. Constellation
  5. Enterprise [reserved for possible 5th orbiter, to carry on OV-101's name]
  6. Discoverer
  7. Endeavour
  8. Liberty
  9. Freedom
  10. Eagle
  11. Kitty Hawk
  12. Pathfinder
  13. Adventurer
  14. Prospector
  15. Peace
 
alensatemybuick said:
Command Module / Lunar Module Names (names highlighted that were either later used of considered for shuttles):
Click to expand...

Which were necessary because there were two vehicles for the same flight, and therefore there was the need for a unique identifier that could be clearly heard over the radio. Note that names for capsules were discontinued after Grissom and Young got a little cheeky with Gemini 3's ``Molly Brown'', and not continued until it was absolutely necessary. The Gemini 7/6 flight was able to use the mission designator, seven versus six, for radio communications.

Note that no names were given to the Skylab or Apollo-Soyuz capsules. Names might have been nice --- certainly good public relations --- but would serve no operational purpose.

Given that shuttle was designed so that on the occasions two would be in orbit simultaneously they would never share a flight number, it is likely that the planning before 1976 was that flight number would be used whenever a specific shuttle had to be given over the radio.

Note particularly that Helen T Wells, Susan H Whiteley, and Carrie E Karegeannes's 1976 Origins of NASA Names has a good deal of detail on how the ``Space Shuttle'' got that named, but nothing about any names for any orbiters, or any names under consideration for orbiters, or even the idea that orbiters might be named.


Per May 26, 1978 memo from the Associate Administrator for Space Transportation Systems (John Yardley) to the Director, Public Affairs on the subject:
Click to expand...

I'm quite familiar with the literature. Yardley's 1978 memo, of course, has nothing to do with 1975-or-1976 thinking about whether orbiters should have names, or what names they should have.
 
TwoJakes said:
The mockup previous to this one was named "pathfinder."

NASA does tend to given names to space vehicles, the idea that NASA originally wasn't going to give names to any of the actual shuttles makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Pathfinder is a later naming of that test article, ISTR.
 
Nebusj said:
I'm quite familiar with the literature.
Click to expand...

That's nice, but some people post here for the benefit of others, not just you.

Nebusj said:
Yardley's 1978 memo, of course, has nothing to do with 1975-or-1976 thinking about whether orbiters should have names, or what names they should have.
Click to expand...

Sure, but it does address the following (bold emphasis mine):

Nebusj said:
there's a surprising lack of primary documentation to say ``Constitution'' was ever planned for the name for any orbiter.
Click to expand...

Though to be frank, my last post wasn't necessarily rebutting anything you had said in this thread, was just posting some information I thought was interesting and thought others might as well. If you don't wish to believe the name "Constitution" was ever considered for OV-101 or any other shuttle, it makes no difference to me. However if you are going to say things by starting out with "it is likely", based on nothing more than speculation or what you want to be true, then I might as well speculate that the reason "Constitution" was at the top of that May 1978 list is BECAUSE it was the original planned name for Enterprise and it was being given a second chance.

Speculation aside, the following text from the Sept. 3 1976 memo William Gorog wrote to president Ford:

"NASA has not announced a name as of yet for the shuttle, and they are holding their announcement until after your meeting with Fletcher."​

Sure suggests to me that some name was being considered.
 
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