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NASA In Colbert Conundrum Over Space Station

After Stephen Colbert won the vote in NASA's contest to name a new module on the International Space Station, NASA found itself in a tough spot. According to Reuters, "Contest rules stipulate that the agency retains the right to basically do whatever it wants," but it may not be all that easy. At first NASA floated the idea of naming the new module's toilet "Colbert." But Last Thursday Congressman Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., urged the agency to respect the people's wishes. And Colbert turned up the heat on yesterday's weekly show: "So NASA, I urge you to heed Congressman Fattah's call for democracy in orbit. Either name that node after me, or I too will reject democracy and seize power as space's evil tyrant overlord. Ball's in your court."

19 of 398 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by tpgp · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm getting bloody sick of his internet vandalism.

    Me too! He should be forced to scrub his vandalism off & return the Internet to its original pure / virginal white.

    --
    My pics.
  2. the russains can't use Colbert the toilet by olddotter · · Score: 3, Funny
  3. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by Hasney · · Score: 3, Funny

    I know, before he came along the internet was just a load of facts and Wikipedia especially, was 100% accurate.

    I also heard that Colbert founded the RIAA. How dare he :(

  4. NASA should be grateful. by Telecommando · · Score: 4, Funny

    They're lucky the winner was Colbert.

    Imagine what it could have been named if the 'b-tards' over at 4-chan got involved.

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  5. Re:OMG Ponies by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the prank is this hideous green/gray color scheme. Where is that pink one we're accustomed to and learned to love?

  6. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    NASA should say "I for one welcome space's evil tyrant overlord."

  7. Re:Why give it away? Should have sold sponsorship! by tburkhol · · Score: 4, Funny

    What I cannot understand, though is why, in these cash-strapped times, they did not auction the name off? Could have raised some much-needed funds.

    I imagine that's just what Blagojevich said to his advisers just before putting Obama's senate seat up for auction.

  8. Re:Would be Great PR. by EdZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Name the node Colbert, but pronounce it with a hard 't' (i.e. cohl-burt).

  9. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by mbrod · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just like NASA, you are where fun goes to die.

  10. Lucky the Indians didn't write in... by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 3, Funny

    With more than a billion potential voters, they could have voted for it to be named after a Dikshit.
    Businessman Anurag Dikshit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anurag_Dikshit
    or politician Sheila Dikshit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Dikshit
    Hey, if it was named the "Dikshit" module of the ISS, it would never be mentioned in the news (except in India, of course).

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  11. Enjoy his humor for what it is and play with it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Enjoy his humor for what it is and play with it. Name the toilet after him.

          I'm off to take a "Colbert", back in 20 min.

          Hey, do you have a portable "Colbert"? My Depends box is empty.

    I can't believe I bothered to write this. What a waste of effort, bandwidth and humor.

    NASA shouldn't name the entire node after anyone that isn't famous for doing good deeds for space. Heck, Jimmy Doolittle would be an excellent choice as the father of avionics.

    1. Re:Enjoy his humor for what it is and play with it by Hott+of+the+World · · Score: 5, Funny

      Jimmy Doolittle would also be an excellent name for a toilet. Just sayin.

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  12. A Reasonable Compromise by roywfall · · Score: 3, Funny

    Name it after Tek Jansen and everybody wins.

  13. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 5, Funny

    You are retarded.

    Oh, dear. I'm afraid your contribution violates our site's policy regarding Neutral Point of View and Verifiability. As a punishment, your account will be suspended for thirty days and you must wash my car.

  14. Re:NASA by xs650 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why should that election be different than any other election?

  15. Re:If Serenity got %70 of the vote by powerlord · · Score: 3, Funny

    But then again if you boot a Fox exec up the ass is he going to know where you hit him????

    In the head?

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  16. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by codeButcher · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...they said they would only use his name if: 1) he could demonstrate he was fluent in Hungarian, and 2) he was dead.

    Well, you can't very well demonstrate that you are fluent in Hungarian if you are dead. So what they actually told him is "over our dead body". Only in Hungarian.

    --
    Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
  17. Re:Fuck Colbert, tell him to get his own Station by MatthewCCNA · · Score: 3, Funny

    To be accurate it's "over his dead body"

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  18. Dead speaking Hungarian? by Jonathan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Remember that Transylvania used to be part of Hungary, and has a Hungarian-speaking minority even to this day...