Name the New Gamma-Ray Space Telescope 131
Ponca City, We Love You writes "NASA announced last week that members of the general public will have a chance to suggest a new name for the cutting edge Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, otherwise known as GLAST, before it launches in mid-2008. NASA wants a name that will capture the excitement of GLAST's mission and call attention to gamma-ray and high-energy astronomy. 'We are looking for something memorable to commemorate this spectacular new astronomy mission,' said Alan Stern, associate administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'We hope someone will come up with a name that is catchy, easy to say and will help make the satellite and its mission a topic of dinner table and classroom discussion.' The period for submitting names closes on March 31, 2008. Participants must include a statement of 25 words or less about why their suggestion would be a strong name for the mission."
Glastnost? (Score:4, Funny)
Excremental! (Score:2, Funny)
Why, GLADOS... (Score:5, Funny)
GLADOS: the Gamma-ray Large Area Deep-sky Object Surveyor.
Just don't equip her with any neurotoxin emitters.
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Well, I guess there's no sense crying over every mistake.
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From Portal (Score:2)
GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, voiced by Ellen McLain), a computer artificial intelligence that monitors and directs the player.
She's from the video game Portal, the reason people say "The cake is a lie!" She is an unreliable narrator throughout the game, who promises cake when you pass all the tests (but she actually means death)
GLaDOS is the one singing in Still Alive [youtube.com] - the song playing during the ending credits. It's written by Jonathan Coulton [thesixtyone.com] - known for his song Code Monkey, among other things (like the acoustic version of Baby Got Back)
Some ideas (Score:5, Funny)
Astronomical Usefull
Reaching
Telescope
Very
Useful
Lens
Viewing
Apparatus
Super
Long
Apparatus
So
Humans
Dont just
Ogle
Themselves
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You mean BIGrTitS? (Score:2)
Shouldn't that be "BIGrTitS"?
How about naming it after someone (Score:3, Insightful)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_(comics) [wikipedia.org]
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Gammy! Gammy! [seinfeldscripts.com]
Something cutting edge (Score:3, Funny)
Gamma rays... catchy? (Score:2, Interesting)
NASA wants a name that will capture the excitement of GLAST's mission and call attention to gamma-ray and high-energy astronomy
I don't think that this topic will ever be exciting. NASA is doing PR work to get more public support and as a result, more funding. If they do want support, show the public some amazing images of what this thing can capture, then the public will be interested. It's sad that NASA has to do this instead of focusing on the science.Ludicrous Speed! (Score:2)
Let me just point out one thing, real quick.
If they do manage to show us those images, I'd love to throw money at them - for their new time-travel technology, not some lame conventional science experiment!
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If you care about science breakthroughs, then high energy experiments are the place to look. This is a branch of astronomy that is decades old, rather then centuries old for optical astronomy. The relative improvement of each high energy instrument over its predecessors is huge and the science leap is correspondingly large.
Seeing the Universe for the first time in a new energy range is at least
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Call it... (Score:1)
What it can do is far more important than what its called, and GLAST is easy enough to say.
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The Hulk (Score:5, Funny)
Is it green or grey? (Score:1)
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Of course (Score:5, Funny)
Observatory
Astronomical
Telescope
Special
Edition
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Orbi-
ting
Gamma
Ray
Imaging
Tele-
scope
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I'd go for Gamma Sensing Permanent Orbital Telescope. Or maybe Comprehensive Orbital Weapons Platform And Telescopic Targeting Interface.
Please, I'm eating here (Score:1, Offtopic)
Death Star (Score:5, Funny)
We should be ok. Everyone knows aliens read slashdot at the default settings, and if my other posts are any indication, I shouldn't get over a 2 (funny), tops.
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eee (Score:2, Funny)
I got it... (Score:2)
Asking the public to name things? (Score:2, Interesting)
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Some suggestions (Score:5, Funny)
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I'm gonna win (Score:1)
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It clearly fulfills their requirements:
"We're looking for name suggestions that will capture the excitement of GLAST's mission
What could be more exciting than a Beowulf cluster?
"... and call attention to gamma-ray and high-energy astronomy."
The highly recognizable phrase will surely capture attention.
"We are looking for something memorable to commemorate this spectacular new astronomy mission,"
Sl
This is easy (Score:2)
I got it! (Score:1)
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how about (Score:2, Interesting)
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"Any suggestions for naming the telescope after a scientist may only include names of deceased scientists whose names are not already used for other NASA missions."
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Simple really (Score:3, Funny)
How about... (Score:5, Funny)
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What about "Telescope" it is short and to the point, failing that "Maxillion" is kind of endearing.
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Important stuff (Score:2, Interesting)
my modest proposal (Score:2)
Almost had a cool name (Score:2)
Obvious really (Score:4, Insightful)
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"RonPaul2008.com"
How about (Score:2)
Big Ass Named Nasa Extra Receiver
I have just two words.... (Score:1)
They should quit while they're ahead (Score:1)
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Yes, and Hubble did have the unfortunate quality of rhyming with "trouble".
GLAST does have rather a Russian flavor to it, though.
Public voting site (Score:2)
Honor Eugene Feenberg (Score:2)
"Feenberg" that's a funny name.
The ... (Score:1)
Hmmmmm..... (Score:1)
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Google "cool names" (Score:1)
Some of the better ones that I saw include:
Adonis
abracadabra
cruton
jalapeno
jitterbug
zigzag
Maybe Nasa should just pick one at random. Or if they really want some media coverage they could call it Britney Spears.
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No, I don't think they want it to come crashing down after staying up for five days...
Carl Sagan (Score:4, Interesting)
Ganty
Honestly (Score:5, Insightful)
In my opinion he should be honored by giving the name to the telescope. And considering that he actually isn't a well-known person outside the realms of the scientists working with gamma rays it's even better.
Everybody knows about Einstein, Bohr and Curie, but there are many other.
Of course - the site specifies that it isn't necessary that it's a scientist - it can be just about anybody. Just go ahead and suggest some names. I would not recommend names like "Iosif Vissarionovitj Dzjugasjvili", "Ilich Ramírez Sánchez" or "Saloth Sar", but your opinion may be different.
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Another suggestion ... (Score:1)
Peeping Tom...? (Score:1)
Name (Score:1)
Sugar-Tits, the Mystic Pony!! (Score:1)
Too soon?
Name it after a planet (Score:1)
Mr. Spacy Pants! (Score:1)
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Fool me once... (Score:2)
They really didn't care what the public suggested - they just wanted cover for what they were going to do. I guess, in a way, they were just being honest in admitting that NASA has devolved to primarily being about justifying its own existence.
George Burns' loving wife (Score:2)
My name (Score:3, Funny)
I don't have an acronym for it. I think it'll get the attention necessary.
Suggestion From the Democrats (Score:1)
OBAMA MAMA GAMMA!!!
It's a Hulking telescope, so... (Score:3, Insightful)
My idea (Score:1)
Metroid (Score:1)
Curie (Score:1)
Lets call it (Score:2)
We could rip on scientology (Score:1, Interesting)
Suggestive (Score:1)
Bitch'n (Score:2)
What can I say? Moon Unit had a profound impact on my psyche as a teenager. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks that's funny.
how about??? (Score:1, Funny)
GAARA (Score:1)
Um... (Score:1)
Licks? (Score:1)
Bob (Score:2)
OH I got it! BANNER'S BINOCULARS. (Score:2)
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
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Wrong. They say acronyms are not required. They don't say they are not allowed.
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like that BLAST :
BLAST Large Area Space Telescope
But then we miss a part about Gamma rays