After all the excitement surrounding the re-entry of NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) last week, I thought this would be a fun topic.
Let’s say that a baby is about to be born aboard the International Space Station. People all over the globe are getting ready to celebrate the birth of mankind’s very first space-baby.
The baby’s astronaut-mom, who happens to be from an English-speaking nation, has generously agreed to let an Earthbound person do the naming. And that lucky Earthbound person is you.
What name do you select if the baby is a boy? How about a girl?
Do the names reflect the unique circumstances/significance of the birth? Why or why not?
Some inspiration:
- First baby born to a parent in orbit: Tarali
- First U.S. baby born on an airplane: Airlene
- First baby born on Antarctica: Emilio
- Various space-related names: Yuri, Mercury astronauts/Glenn, Apollo astronauts/Aldrin, Valentina, assorted astronaut and space-related names, Skylab, Christa
[Related: What would you name an 11-11-11 baby?]
Astro (M) and Terra (F). :-)
I think I might do Primo/Prima.
Irmen/Irmgarde is an Old German name that means “universal.”
BUT, as we’re dealing with English parents, maybe Star (g) or Jett (m).
Nova – besides being a type of star, it’s Latin for “new”.
Dagny – Dagr (god of daytime in Norse mythology) + ny (“new”)
Adam – masculine form of the Hebrew word for “earth” .
Altair – Besides one of bright stars in our night sky, it means “flying one.”
GIRL: Moon, Nebula, Terra
BOY: Galaxy, Zenith, Cosmo
Hahaha my first thought went to names that either have been space ships or could be…
Apollo, Journey, Serenity…
I would definitely pick Journey. Boy or girl. :)
I would name it Atom, which i think is unisex, because those are what everything in our universe is made up of in the end, plus without science none of this space-exploring stuff would ever have happened.
Boy: My first thought was Aster, for the beginning of the word “asteroid” but it doesnt flow off the tounge well, and could cause some pretty mean nicknames. Could always be varied to Asher but thats not so unique. Astro is also good. Callisto i think sounds more masculine, and Comet too.
Girl: You could go with the classical sounding options, Andromeda, Aurora, Pandora. Then theres the obvious ones like Sky and Star. Maybe you could change it up a bit by calling her North Star or Starlight. Ursa is one that i think sounds quite nice for a girl
You could always opt for the god/godess names like Mercury, Mars, Apollo, Venus, Jupiter…or zodiacs, Aquarius, Leo, Pisces, Gemini..
Two names to steer well clear of: Uranus, White Dwarf, or Red Dwarf..lol
Also really liked Julie’s suggestions – especially Nova and Altair
Male: Galactica, Female: Star, Alien: Battle
Nova