Fifty years ago, on Sept. 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled OV-101, its first space shuttle orbiter, according to a NASA retrospective. The rollout took place on Constitution Day, during America's bicentennial celebrations.
NASA originally intended to call the vehicle Constitution, fitting the patriotic occasion. But nearly 100,000 Star Trek fans flooded the White House with letters demanding the ship instead honor the show's famous starship.
The campaign worked: officials changed course and christened the orbiter Enterprise. Though Enterprise never flew to space itself, it served as a critical test vehicle for atmospheric glide and landing trials that paved the way for the shuttle fleet that followed.
