St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: September 17, 2021

Press release from St. Louis Science Center:

September 17, 2021

Today in 1976, NASA publicly unveiled the first Space Shuttle prototype during a ceremony in Palmdale, California. Originally to be named Space Shuttle Constitution, the orbiter took the namesake of the famed Star Trek starship USS Enterprise, after President Ford reportedly received thousands of petition signatures from avid Star Trek fans across the country.

This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.