Fifty years ago, on Sept. 17, 1976, it was Constitution Day of America’s bicentennial year, I had just driven from Minnesota to California for a new job. I didn't realize this was going to happen, but when it did, I was really happy because I'd been watching Star Trek for a decade...
Star Trek? What do you mean? You see, NASA had put its first space shuttle orbiter on display to the public. They originally planned to name it Constitution, but Star Trek fans convinced the president to change the name. Perhaps 100K fans of the original Star Trek television series wrote the White House, and before you knew it, President Ford had directed NASA to christen the shuttle USS Enterprise. The name Enterprise, long celebrated in U.S. naval history, had earlier been bestowed on the first nuclear-powered carrier, a World War II carrier, and a Revolutionary War vessel.
Invited guests attended the ceremony at Rockwell’s facility in southern California, including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and several cast members. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/9467279838-faa6134db8-o.jpg
Enterprise did not fly in space, but it did make atmospheric test flights, and the shuttle's first spaceflights happened in 1981. The vehicle is now on display at the Intrepid Museum in New York City.
