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BBC News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How the Space Shuttles were given better names thanks to Star Trek
Nasa The first Space Shuttle was originally going to be named Constitution. US President Gerald Ford agreed to rename it Enterprise – here's how Star Trek fans persuaded him. It's 17 September 1976. The world's press has gathered in Palmdale, California, for the revealing of Nasa's first Space Shuttle vehicle: The Enterprise. But it wasn't always supposed to have that name. It was a huge day for Nasa and for the US administration, as they began a new adventure in space travel. After the Moon landings, the Space Shuttle would be Nasa's project to make spaceflight routine, affordable and accessible for the future. In the audience were presidential aides, Nasa officials, astronauts and some very special guests. Many of the cast and crew members of TV science fiction series Star Trek also came along to watch the vehicle be unveiled. Getty Images It was also quite the day for the show's fans. The US president and Nasa agreed to dedicate and name the first Space Shuttle after the flagship of Star Trek's fleet, the Star Ship Enterprise. "Nasa has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-orientated Star Trek group, asking that the name be given to the craft," said government aide William Gorog, in a now declassified memo to the then President, Gerald Ford. Fans bombarded Nasa and the White House with letters about why the ship should be renamed. And it was not the first time Star Trek fans had run a campaign like this, either. The mastermind behind the campaign was among those watching the unveiling at Palmdale. Her name is Betty Jo Trimble, otherwise known to Star Trek fans as Bjo Trimble. She has become something of an icon in the science fiction world. Bjo became famous for her fashion shows at the World Science Fiction Convention, which was an early form of Comicon. Her fashion shows would give fans a glimpse of all kinds of outfits from the sci-fi world. But, one day, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, got in touch with her. He wanted to use the fashion shows to promote some early Star Trek costumes. Getty Images Trimble became a close friend of the show. She was invited on to set to meet the actors. She got to know Rodenberry personally. She ran her own fanzine. They would even become a crew member, when they appeared in an unnamed role in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. But Bjo is most famous for running the successful Save Star Trek campaign, with her husband John Trimble, which stopped NBC from cancelling the show after its first two seasons. The campaign has become one of the most famous in TV history. "Star Trek fans could be very persuasive," admitted Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the series. (He also attended the Enterprise ceremony.) Building the space shuttle The Space Shuttle was a challenge that had never before been undertaken by a space programme. The idea was to create a vehicle that could leave the Earth like a rocket but then land after its mission was completed like a plane. The challenge was famously laid down to Nasa's engineers at a meeting on April Fool's Day 1969 where Max Faget, an eccentric mechanical engineer who could always be found wearing his famous bowtie, strode into the room, pulled a balsa wood model of a "funny looking" plane from a bag and flew it across the room. Faget was the designer behind the Mercury spacecraft, and later the Apollo and Gemini aircraft for Nasa, and would play a vital part in the design of the new shuttle as engineers tried to figure out how to build the vehicle within Nasa's budget. (Hear more about the dramatic story of this pioneering spacecraft in 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle.) Nasa Palmdale in California was the centre of the aeronautics industry. One of the biggest companies there was Rockwell International, which had built aircraft like the successful B-1 bomber, which is still in service today. Rockwell were offered the contract to the build this prototype. In 1974, construction began and two years later, the Shuttle was finally ready to be unveiled. Changing the name The prototype was originally planned to be called The Constitution, to mark the centenary of the foundational document of the United States. But Star Trek fans had other ideas. "A couple of other fans started this project, but for some reason, they could not finish it, and asked us to take it over," Bjo Trimble told the official Star Trek website in an interview in 2023. "We thought it was a good idea to make the public really aware of the space programme by using a popular name for the first shuttle." Eventually their letters began to work and found their way into a memo to the President The Trimbles, among a few others, set up another letter-writing campaign to change the name, drawing on the same techniques they had used during the Save Star Trek campaign. There were no home computers at time, so the couple hit the phones, connecting conventions, newsletters and Star Trek communities all over the world through typewriter and telephone Eventually their letters began to work and found their way into a memo to the President. In the declassified letter Gorog suggested to President Ford that the idea might help the space programme. Paramount Television/Alamy After all, Nasa was launching a new ship and a new idea to the American public. It needed their attention. Gorog summarised in the memo: This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space programme The name "Enterprise" is tied in with the system on which the Nation's economic structure is built. Use of the name would provide a substantial human interest appeal to the rollout ceremonies scheduled for this month in California, where the aeronautical industry is of vital importance. Many agreed. James Fletcher, Nasa's chief administrator was also open to the idea. Jim Cannon, a political advisor to President Ford, agreed it seemed an "excellent name", that it would "personally gratify" one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country. Getty Images And there was naval history to the name too. During World War Two, Enterprise was an aircraft carrier that served in the Pacific while another ship with the name helped fight pirates in 1803 in the days of the American republic. Eventually, the five Space Shuttles that followed all bore the names of famous ships of exploration that had traversed Earth's oceans: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. President Ford responded positively to the pressure, approving a decision memo recommending the name change on 3 September 1976. A few days after the memo, the President met with Fletcher to confirm that a name change would be suitable. It offered both a public relations win for the presidential office, Nasa and Star Trek fans. The rollout Back to the big unveiling day in Palmdale, the nose of Enterprise appeared from the corner of a giant aircraft hangar. It was flanked either side by white-suited technicians. It was brilliant white, with a black underside, stubby wings and a high tail fin. As the vehicle's wheels rolled onto the tarmac, the United States Air Force band had a surprise for the gathered guests. They broke out into the Star Trek theme to massive cheers from the audience. Star Wars fans wanted their place in space history too The vehicle would be used for the early aerial and landing tests of the Shuttle in the years that followed. These gave the astronauts and pilots who would later fly the Space Shuttles on their missions into orbit vital experience of what the vehicle could do. Eventually, on 12 April 1981, Nasa flew STS-1, the first flight of the Space Shuttle programme. The vehicle they used, Columbia, was redesigned from the original Enterprise prototype. But the legacy of the original vehicle and the public relations campaign stuck. Actress Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on the TV show, was hired by Nasa to help them recruit women and members of minority groups to the astronaut programme in the 1970s. Other sci-fi fans wanted in on the action too. After Space Shuttle Enterprise was renamed, a flyer appeared in the Star Wars newsletter Falcon. Star Wars fans wanted their place in space history too. Using a similar letter writing campaign to Star Trek's, they started their own campaign. Sadly, they were unsuccessful in naming the second shuttle the Millenium Falcon, but the legacy of the links between sci-fi and the US space agency are still strong. More like this: • What caused the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster? • Why astronauts get nervous on the launchpad • The man who designs the future Over the years many astronauts have used for Star Trek motifs on their mission badges and in group portraits. Others have spoken about how the show inspired them in the first place while many of the actors have developed strong relationships with Nasa. In 2012, some of the same Star Trek stars who were there at that initial rollout of the space shuttle Enterprise watched as the craft made its final journey, landing at John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its way to its current home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Science Museum. It was a fitting tribute to a spacecraft that, to use words from the opening sequence of Start Trek, had enabled humans to boldly go where no-one had gone before. -- If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Famous birthdays for July 14: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Darby Camp
July 14 (UPI) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include: -- Artist Alphonse Mucha in 1860 -- Suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst in 1858 -- Artist Gustav Klimt in 1862 -- Cartoonist William Hanna in 1910 -- Musician Woody Guthrie in 1912 -- Gerald Ford, 38th president of the United States, in 1913 -- Filmmaker Ingmar Bergman in 1918 -- Actor Harry Dean Stanton in 1926 -- TV news commentator John Chancellor in 1927 -- Former NFL player/actor Rosey Grier in 1932 (age 93) -- Musician Lady Bo in 1940 -- Evangelist Franklin Graham in 1952 (age 73) -- Actor/filmmaker Eric Laneuville in 1952 (age 73) -- Film producer Joel Silver in 1952 (age 73) -- Actor Jane Lynch in 1960 (age 65) -- Actor Matthew Fox in 1966 (age 59) -- Musician Ellen Reid (Crash Test Dummies) in 1966 (age 59) -- Musician/TV personality Tameka Cottle, known professionally as Tiny, (Xscape) in 1975 (age 50) -- Musician Taboo (Black Eyed Peas) in 1975 (age 50) -- Musician Jamey Johnson in 1975 (age 50) -- Princess Victoria of Sweden in 1977 (age 48) -- Actor Scott Porter in 1979 (age 46) -- Actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 1985 (age 40) -- Dancer Peta Murgatroyd in 1986 (age 39) -- Musician Dan Smith (Bastille) in 1086 (age 39) -- Musician Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons) in 1987 (age 38) -- MMA fighter Conor McGregor in 1988 (age 37) -- Musician Bibi Bourelly in 1994 (age 31) -- Actor Darby Camp in 2007 (age 18)
Wales Online
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Welsh singer Iris Williams who sang for a US president dies aged 79
Welsh singer Iris Williams who sang for a US president dies aged 79 Iris received an OBE for services to music 21 years ago The Welsh singer performed for US President Gerald Ford on several occasions (Image: Don Smith/) Iris Williams OBE has died aged 79 in the US, where she was living. The renowned Pontypridd-born singer was best known for her hits which included He Was Beautiful and Pererin Wyf, the Welsh-language version of Amazing Grace. The singer was a product of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where she received a scholarship before going on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the Queen, as well as also performing for US President Gerald Ford on several occasions. She rose to fame in the 1980s and in 2004 was honoured with an OBE for her contributions to music. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . Iris performing on her own BBC show in 1979 (Image: Don Smith/) The 79-year-old performed on the Welsh BBC pop show, Disc A Dawn, and later featured in her own BBC TV show. She then went on to win Cân i Gymru, a Welsh-language talent competition, having performed the song I gael Cymru'n Gymru Rydd, which translates to For a Free Wales. Article continues below In 1999, Iris also took part in a concert which celebrated the opening of the National Assembly of Wales. Her brother Ashley paid tribute to her to the BBC. He said: "I never met her until we were adults and it was wonderful to meet up with her. In my opinion she was one of Wales' most underrated singers. "She had a tremendous career, it was very hard for her growing up." Iris was brought up in a children's home in Tonyrefail (Image: Getty Images ) The St David's Society of the State of New York said Iris had "joined the heavenly chorus where her joyful singing will surely bring those joys beyond measure which we have been honoured to share". They continued: "New York held a special place in her life and it was here that she gave birth to her only child Blake." Article continues below Opera singer Beverley Humphreys also paid tribute to the singer. She said: "Iris had her own unique jazz style - vivacious and elegant - with a twinkle in her eye, she had a way of inhabiting each song she sang. "Iris was a story teller whose voice could set your feet tapping or touch your heart."
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Singer Iris Williams who performed for Queen Elizabeth II dies
Welsh singer Iris Williams has died at the age of in Rhydyfelin, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in 1944, Williams performed around the world including in the US, where she was living at the time of her was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama while working in a glove factory in would eventually go on to perform for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and for US President Gerald Ford on a number of occasions. Her hits included He Was Beautiful and Pererin Wyf, a Welsh-language version of Amazing the 1960s, Williams appeared on the Welsh BBC pop music programme Disc A Dawn. From there she went on to feature in her own BBC TV 1974, she won Cân i Gymru, the Welsh-language talent competition A Song for Wales with the song I gael Cymru'n Gymru Rydd, translated to For a Free Wales. She was among a group of performers to take part in a concert to celebrate the opening of the National Assembly of Wales in 2004, she was honoured with an OBE for her contribution to music, and in 2006 was admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards at the National a post on social media, The St David's Society of the State of New York said Williams had "joined the heavenly chorus where her joyful singing will surely bring those joys beyond measure which we have been honoured to share.""New York held a special place in her life and it was here that she gave birth to her only child Blake."Opera singer Beverley Humphreys paid tribute by saying the "distinctive voice" will always be associated with the song He Was Beautiful. "Iris had her own unique jazz style - vivacious and elegant - with a twinkle in her eye, she had a way of inhabiting each song she sang."Iris was a story teller whose voice could set your feet tapping or touch your heart."
Wall Street Journal
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Notable & Quotable: Crafting Ford's July 4, 1976 Speech
Robert T. Hartmann, counselor to President Gerald Ford, in a June 10, 1976, White House memorandum on bicentennial speeches:
