One of many places to play hooky from business when you are in New York is the space museum on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (1943). As everyone will know, this museum is home to the Space Shuttle Enterprise, commissioned in 1976. It is a very popular tourist attraction. Above left, hundreds crowd the walkways around the spaceship which is housed in a large inflatable building on the aircraft deck. It is little known that the space shuttle was named Enterprise only because thousands of fans of the televison series Star Trek petitioned the government of the day to do so. A ceremony was held at which actors and members of the crew of the fictional USS Starship Enterprise were present. Left to right, George Takei (Mr. Sulu, Helm Officer), James Noonan (Mr Scott, Chief Engineer), Michelle Nicholls (Lieutenant Uhuru), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) Gene Roddenberry, creator, unknown party and Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov, Russian Starfleet officer). A notable abense on that day was William Shatner who played Captain Kirk. News video from 1976. Note at the end that military band is playing the theme from Star Trek.
