William Atkins
Wednesday, 15 April 2009 19:06
Science -
Space
Page 3 of 4
The NASA article also quoted Bill Gerstenmaier (NASA associate administrator for Space Operations):
"The public did a fantastic job and surprised us with the quality and volume of the suggestions. Apollo 11 landed on the moon at the Sea of Tranquility 40 years ago this July. We selected 'Tranquility' because it ties it to exploration and the moon and symbolizes the spirit of international cooperation embodied by the space station."
Gerstenmaier adde,
"We don't typically name U.S. space station hardware after living people and this is no exception. However, NASA is naming its new space station treadmill the 'Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill,' or COLBERT. We have invited Stephen to Florida for the launch of COLBERT and to Houston to try out a version of the treadmill that astronauts train on."
A new “official” patch has also been developed to illustrate the treadmill and Stephen Colbert. See the patch on the
CollectSpace.com website.
The naming of the treadmill COLBERT could have been made because Suni Williams ran a
marathon, as part of the Boston Marathon, while on a Space Station treadmill, as she orbited the Earth, similar to the newly named COLBERT treadmill.
Video of Williams' run and the name announcement on "The Colbert Report" will air on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
You can also watch the entire April 14th
“The Colbert Report” episode featuring Suni Williams at its
website.
To learn more about the International Space Station and the new Tranquility Node, go to
http://www.nasa.gov/station.
Page four concludes with comments.
