NASA named its first space shuttle Enterprise, and the vehicle was rolled out during the 1976 Bicentennial year.
The shuttle was originally planned to be named Constitution, a name chosen to fit the anniversary’s patriotic theme. A letter-writing campaign by fans of Star Trek persuaded President Gerald Ford and NASA to use Enterprise instead, honoring the fictional starship from the television series.
Enterprise was designated OV-101 and was built as a test vehicle rather than an operational spacecraft. It lacked engines and a heat shield suitable for orbital missions, but it was used for ground tests, atmospheric approach-and-landing trials, and free-flight demonstrations with astronauts.
NASA held the rollout ceremony on September 17, 1976, the anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. Enterprise later helped validate the shuttle’s glide and landing characteristics. It never flew into space, while Columbia became the first operational shuttle to reach orbit in 1981.