# The first interstellar spacecraft **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198 "2013-03-28T18:05:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/61 "2013-03-30T00:30:11Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Because…_Von_ Braun was American? No, because he played an important role in America’s human spaceflight program. (And he _was_ American; he became a US citizen in 1955.) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/62 "2013-03-30T01:00:10Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > USS Sally Ride! > > It’s perfect—not only because it’s the name of a great, pioneering American astronaut, but the wordplay!—sally means ‘go forth’, which is absolutely appropriate, and ride is what the astronauts will be doing on it. Plus, man oh man, we’d have the theme song nailed. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/63 "2013-03-30T01:28:37Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > No, because he played an important role in America’s human spaceflight program. (And he _was_ American; he became a US citizen in 1955.) “I just make the rockets, I don’t know where they come down, It’s not my department, Says Werner von Braun.” United Terran Ship FireDrake. Haley’s comet was known as the Firedrake in medieval Europe, however one spells it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/64 "2013-03-30T01:45:32Z")
UTS Sally Ride sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/65 "2013-03-30T03:01:11Z")
_Nostromo_ ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/66 "2013-03-30T03:34:29Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Plus, man oh man, we’d have the theme song nailed. Yep. that too. 😃 Speaking of songs… > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > “I just make the rockets, > I don’t know where they come down, > It’s not my department, > Says Werner von Braun.” “Vhen the rockets go up, who cares vhere they come down? It’s not my department, says Wernher von Braun.” > [@](#): > > United Terran Ship FireDrake. > > Haley’s comet was known as the Firedrake in medieval Europe, however one spells it. UTS Fire Drake Equation. That does have a ring to it. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/67 "2013-03-30T03:47:08Z")
“UTS Flying Mother Nature’s Silver Seed to a New Home” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/68 "2013-03-30T05:02:28Z")
USS _Roddenberry_, USS _Solow_, USS _Coon_, USS _Jeffries_, USS _Fontana._ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/69 "2013-03-30T06:38:46Z")
> [@toofs](#): > > _Nostromo_ What an alien thought. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/70 "2013-03-30T07:43:11Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Hitchhiker’s Guide. > > Carrying the useless third of the Gulgafrinchan population and designed to crash on Earth. Yes, but I saw what **panache45** did. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/71 "2013-03-30T12:17:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Speaking of songs…“Vhen the rockets go up, who cares vhere they come down? It’s not my department, says Wernher von Braun.” Danke. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/72 "2013-03-30T14:22:59Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > USS _Roddenberry_, USS _Solow_, USS _Coon_, USS _Jeffries_, USS _Fontana._ Plus USS _Justman._ ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/73 "2013-03-30T14:47:43Z")
We already have a Galileo probe, do we not? After all the trouble he had with the church, “revenge is a dish best served cold”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/74 "2013-03-30T14:55:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > We already have a Galileo probe, do we not? > After all the trouble he had with the church, “revenge is a dish best served cold”. 🙂 Too bad he’d been long dead when his first vindications came. Well, at least I imagine some of his family members were around to see it. Hmm. I don’t know anyone with the surname of Galilei. Does anyone? I just searched LinkedIn and that came up empty. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/75 "2013-03-30T18:06:37Z")
Hmm. (Looks up names of Culture vehicles.) How about the USS\* Passing By And Thought I’d Drop In\*? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/76 "2013-03-30T19:18:14Z")
_The Hannibal Twin-Eight_ Catptain to co-pilot: “Push the button Max!” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/77 "2013-03-30T20:12:41Z")
I suppose Xenophon may have somewhat negative connotations… ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/78 "2013-03-30T21:41:56Z")
_ **Hatari!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/79 "2013-03-31T04:23:17Z")
The Sagan! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198/80 "2013-03-31T08:07:35Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > We already have a Galileo probe, do we not? > After all the trouble he had with the church, “revenge is a dish best served cold”. 🙂 Wasn’t there a _Star Trek_ episode in the original series titled _The Galileo Seven_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-interstellar-spacecraft/654198.md?page=5)