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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Colbert Vies to Be Namesake of NASA Module

But Joss Whedon's devoted nerd army may spoil comedian's plans

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(Newser) – Again proving that his love for self-promotion knows no bounds, Stephen Colbert is urging fans to vote for his write-in suggestion for the name of the new observation deck attachment to the International Space Station, Space.com reports. In two days, Colbert nation has pushed his name to the top of the write-in list with 29,000 votes, beating “Xenu”—a galactic ruler discussed in Scientology’s teachings.

“Earthrise,” “Legacy,” “Serenity” and “Venture,” are the four NASA suggestions Colbert still needs to beat. “Those aren’t space modules, those are organic teas,” the host joked. But “Serenity”—the front-runner at 66,000 votes—may prove stiff competition: It’s a nod to Joss Whedon’s cult sci-fi show Firefly. Around 169,000 have voted in the contest, which ends March 20.

In this 2008 file photo, Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central's
In this 2008 file photo, Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" is shown at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo)
Artist rendering of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Credit NASA.
Artist rendering of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Credit NASA.
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Internet group (and Scientology antagonists) Anonymous turns out to be the ones behind the drive to name the ISS module "Xenu," and they aren't happy about Colbert's campaign to name the module.   (ChurchofSciencology)

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7 comments
VIEWING:
 
radnip
Mar 6, 09 4:54 PM CST
With Scientology trying this, it's hilarious Colbert got in on it. Thought it sounded like great fun. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
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NutsInNY
Mar 6, 09 7:42 PM CST
A comment I snagged from another site, suggesting that Colbert's name might serve science better: "If Serenity wins we'll probably never hear about this again from anyone outside of NASA; and if Colbert wins it will almost surely come up on his show and during his interviews." Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Chudluv
Mar 6, 09 7:58 PM CST
**Rolls eyes*** We can only hope but not likely to hear the end of it either way.
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IN RESPONSE:
NutsInNY
Mar 6, 09 8:19 PM CST
Yeah, as another commenter wrote, "Online naming polls rarely end well."
Vote up! Vote down!
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riffran
Mar 6, 09 9:57 PM CST
serenity gets my vote...lol...*singing the ballad of Jayne*....go firefly Reply
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