I (and some NASA folks) are looking for suggestions for a name for NASA's new nuclear propulsion initiative--something more poetic and mythical than, say, "Nuclear Propulsion Initiative" (though NPI is at least as good a TLA as SLI).

These are my initial thoughts:

We could call it Son of Orion, but Orion had no offspring--he was killed by the father of a woman he courted, via scorpion or other means, depending on the version of the story. And Son Of Orion makes it sound too much like a bad Japanese SF movie. Heyyyyy...how about Mothra? Or Rodan? Or Godzilla? Let's borrow from modern mythology.

Hermes or Mercury would be most appropriate, but they're taken. At least Mercury is (since the European Hermes never flew, perhaps it could be considered to be still available).

How about Argo? A propulsion system fit for long voyages. The JASONS would like it, if they were still around, but I think that DARPA has disbanded/defunded them...

Of course, if we want to go Norse, I don't think that Odin has ever been used for anything significant.

It might be sacriligeous to the Indians, but Hindus aren't all that uptight about such things, generally, so we could also go with Kalki, the tenth (and yet to appear) avatar of Vishnu. He will come astride a white horse, with a sword blazing like the tail of a comet. Seems appropriate to me...

Does anyone have any other suggestions? My experience is that my readership is generally better read and more knowledgable than me (at least collectively). Any classicists out there with more ideas?

Project Gamera!! The mythical flying turtle.
There's even a theme song they could play on the TV when it gets launched.

http://www.msu.edu/user/dalenwil/pseudogam.au

Gamera! Gamera!
Gamera is really neat.
Gamera is filled with meat.
We've been eating Gamera!
Shell
Teeth
Eyes
Flames
Claws
Breath
Scales
Fun!
Gamera is really sweet,
He is filled with turtle meat.
We've been eating Gamera!

Somehow, I don't think that, when naming a propulsion system that will provide faster speeds than anything heretofore built, a turtle is quite the right metaphor, flying or not... :-)

If they're serious this time, Forward

Kind of a mundane program for a name like that. They should reserve it for the anti-matter initiative.

How about Prometheus?

Maybe, but it's just a propulsion system, not the invention of fire...

Rather than trying to come up with an obscure name from mythology (ancient or modern) or history with a little PC tossed in (Sojourner? gimme a break), or some Microsoft-speak acronym, how about something that's actually descriptive? Like the old Heinlein juveniles where the starship drive is called a "torch". (Or better yet, the Ortega Torch Drive.) Or Tom Swift Jr.'s "repellatron". Even something as prosaic as "ion drive" has a better ring to it than yet another memorial naming chosen by a bureaucrat.

How about MINERVA - for Major Initiative for Nuclear Engines for Rocket Vehicle Applications. It harkens back to the NERVA program, and maybe calling it a major initiative will keep it funded. Well, we can hope.

Atalanta, after the Greek maiden who eschewed the company of men and devoted herself totally to running sports.

Long Haul, Helios, pretty blue or white stars like Sirius (belongs to one of Orion's dogs), Rigel (a star of Orion), Spica, Vega, Deneb (of Cygnus).

Skidbladnir, Freya's portable ship.

Osiris apparently is also associated with the constellation Orion. He also helped Ra (the Egyptian sun god) out by hauling Ra's sun boat through the underworld during the night. His retrun from the dead has some parallels with this technology. ;-) Still kinda heavy for a mere project. Ra's sun boat itself might have a cool name.

How about Paladin?

Phaeton.

After all, if there's nukes involved,
our motto must be 'Fight On!'

At American Rocket Company, one of the payloads on the ill-fated SET-1 test flight was named Skidbladnir. Around the plant, it got referred to as "Skippy".

"Shiva", in rememberance of Oppenheimer's quote after the Trinity test.

If you're worried about future funding, name it after Sen. Byrd. Or sell the naming rights: The CMGI Engine. The Poulan Weedeater Drive. The McNuke. The Dodge Ram. The Clydesdale of Space sponsored by Budweiser.

That's my pick: the Clydesdale.

Rand,

What exactly _is_ NASA's new nuclear propulsion initiative? The stuff I've read has been very vague. Can you direct me to any specific information?

(As for the name, I like MINERVA as well.)

If only there were a Roman god of nuclear propulsion, this would be easy.

>> If only there were a Roman god of nuclear propulsion, this would be easy.

Am I the only one who remembers Nucleus?

Ahh, yes, Nucleus, the triune god, and his avatars Proton, Neutron, and Electron. I think Ovid wrote about him in "The Transmutations" -- quite an active deity, always at the center of things.

The so-called environmentalists will protest anything even remotely connected to the word "nuclear". Perhaps nuclear propulsion systems should be called "Baby Seals". I can just see the Greenpeace protesters, holding signs saying "Kill the Baby Seals", "Stop The Baby Seals Now!" and "No More Baby Seals".

How about Nautilus (if you want to pick a nuclear power related name)? NEMO would be a cool, but I'm not clever enough to turn it into a good acronym.

Mr. Simberg, the name Forward would be quite appropriate, as it could be intended to honor the lately deceased physicist and sf writer, Robert L. Forward. Have a flip through his book _Across the Sea of Suns_ for his imaginative though scrupulously scientific nuclear propulsion system.

I'm not saying that he doesn't deserve the honor. I'm saying that he deserves more than having a simple nuclear-propulsion system named for him. His name should be reserved for an interstellar propulsion system of some kind.

>> I'm saying that he deserves more than having a simple nuclear-propulsion system named for him.

Yes, but he's unlikely to gain sufficient fame by the time anything more appropriate/deserving comes along.

Besides, there's another way to think about it. If successful, this will be seen as enabling technology that opened up space.

Plus, the name has the right connotations - the associations are merely a nice plus.

..Mercury would be a great idea, even if it is taken - after all, what better way to get started - again -on the Road Out There? But if Mercury is a no-go, how about...Valkyrie?

Best regards,
Mike Kozlowski

I just want to thank NASA for following my suggestion for the naming of their program. :)