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Colbert Vies to Be Namesake of NASA Module

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

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 6, 2009 4:24 PM CST

(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.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (1)]

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.

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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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Colbert Vies to Be Namesake of NASA Module