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Author
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Topic: "The space shuttle" versus "space shuttle"
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Rob Joyner
Member Posts: 1308
From: GA, USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 07-25-2011 09:22 PM
   
When you speak of space shuttles and orbiters do you say..."the space shuttle Columbia" or "space shuttle Columbia"? "the shuttle Discovery" or "shuttle Discovery"? "the Endeavour" or "Endeavour"? Does NASA have an official term of address? Over the years I've heard TV commentators say both and have seen both in print, all the way up to STS-135. I address each shuttle or orbiter without the "the", I suppose because they're real and seem more to me than just machines. But...if I speak about fictional ships I find myself using the "the", as in "the starship Enterprise", "the Millennium Falcon", "the Nostromo" and "the Jupiter 2". So what do you say? To "the" or not to "the"? |
Spaceguy5
Member Posts: 427
From: Pampa, TX, US
Registered: May 2011
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posted 07-25-2011 09:47 PM
Typically I just say, for example, Endeavour. However I'll add a 'the' in the more formal case of 'the space shuttle Endeavour' (For example, if I'm writing a news article). I can't ever remember hearing a NASA source add a 'the' when just saying the orbiter's name, although I've also commonly heard 'to station' or 'on station' (When I would have added a 'the' referring to the ISS). |
Greggy_D
Member Posts: 977
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 07-25-2011 09:49 PM
Depends...If the answer/statement is more formal I say, "The Space Shuttle Discovery". Less formal... "Discovery" |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-25-2011 10:02 PM
My understanding is that Associated Press (AP) style, which most U.S. media organizations follow, generally calls for "the space shuttle Atlantis" on first use and then "Atlantis" on second. The phrase "space shuttle" is always lowercase (if starting a sentence, then "Space shuttle") even with the orbiter name, e.g. "space shuttle Atlantis." |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-26-2011 05:06 AM
Just checked, and we usually include the article 'the': "The class paid homage to McAuliffe and the six other astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger."But we also sometimes drop the article: "Koslow, a Toms River resident and artist who had works commissioned by NASA, was invited to the maiden lift-off of space shuttle Endeavour..." But we're sometimes inconsistent, even with internal style. Some editor, in the first example, capitalized the words "space shuttle." |
crowe-t
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posted 07-27-2011 05:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Rob Joyner:
But...if I speak about fictional ships I find myself using the "the", as in "the starship Enterprise"
I never really thought about it but I do the exact same thing when either referring to a space shuttle or the Starship Enterprise. There, I just wrote it that way and didn't think about it. Interesting... |
John Charles
Member Posts: 339
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-07-2011 09:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Rob Joyner:
When you speak of space shuttles and orbiters do you say... "the space shuttle Columbia" or "space shuttle Columbia"?
"the shuttle Discovery" or "shuttle Discovery"? "the Endeavour" or "Endeavour"?
I say "the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis". Early in my career, I remember hearing "real astronauts" (usually mission specialists) reminding "visiting astronauts" (payload specialists) that the Space Shuttle consisted of an orbiter, and external tank and two solid rocket boosters. But because "orbiter" can be a generic term for anything in orbit, I try to link it to "space shuttle." I also try to capitalize it, because it is the actual name of the assemblage, and not just a couple of words some journalists chose to describe the thing. Speaking of which, isn't it interesting that the space shuttle's 30-year career spans a generation or more of young people, including journalists and press officers, especially including Chinese press officers, who now describe the Shenzhou spacecraft as a "space shuttle" — as if that is just a generic term for something that carries people into space and back. Like "xerox" and "kleenex". |
Byeman
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posted 08-07-2011 09:30 PM
Capital letters are appropriate because Space Shuttle is also a program name. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 08-08-2011 06:22 AM
Slightly off-topic, but the respective people are adamant about Xerox and Kleenex not being generic terms, and insist that those two words be capitalized.Back on topic, I personally tend to drop the article 'the' in regards to the space shuttle - referring to it as "space shuttle Columbia," for instance - because of tight space requirements, no pun intended. But some editors and purists may insist on the article because it is unique: There is only one space shuttle named Columbia. It's like the difference between being a company's spokesman and being the company's spokesman. |
jimsz
Member Posts: 616
From:
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 08-08-2011 08:19 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
Slightly off-topic, but the respective people are adamant about Xerox and Kleenex not being generic terms, and insist that those two words be capitalized.
That's because those two names are registered trademarks and are registered with the initial letter capitalized. By being adamant the owners of the trademark are simply protecting their mark (which they are required to do) which prevents them from becoming a generic term.Space shuttle, though registered by private individuals for specific classifications is not a registered trademark by NASA. But maybe it should be. |
space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 08-18-2011 06:49 AM
It's unfortunate that the Space Transportation System with its Orbiter, External Tank, and Solid Rocket Boosters was not given a better overall name. We call the Orbiter a space shuttle. So now people confuse "space shuttle" with the more general term "spacecraft."Years ago a scrap dealer told me he had a "space shuttle." It turned out to be parts from some kind of unmanned rocket. I met a planetarium director who was frustrated over the lack of knowledge of today's youth. He would ask them, "Do space shuttles go to the moon?" The students would answer, "Yes!" And why not? They had seen photos of the Lunar Module on the moon. And the Lunar Module was a space shuttle, right? In their experience, yes it was. They had always heard "space shuttle" used to describe not only the Space Transportation System, but also at times when "spacecraft" should have been used. So I really wish we could change the Orbiter to the Space Shuttle, a spacecraft following after the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. ------------------
John Fongheiser
Historic Space Systems |
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