On this day in 1976, NASA unveiled Enterprise, it's first space shuttle. Photo: NASA

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled its first Space Shuttle Orbiter, Enterprise. It was originally planned to be named Constitution, but a write-in campaign by the fans of the popular TV show “Star Trek” urged the White House to name the shuttle after the Starship Enterprise. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the cast of the show were on hand at the dedication ceremony. Though crucial to the Space Shuttle program, Enterprise never actually flew in space. It is currently the centerpiece of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.