NASA had a contest where you could vote for the best names for their Node 3 module inside their space station. There were names like Serenity, Enterprise, Horizon, Vista. With the permission for write in votes, a new name emerged, Colbert. It out gained the highest name Serenity by 40,000 votes with a total of 230,000.

However, evidently NASA’s contest can be overruled at any time by NASA. What kind of contest is that? They went on to name the nodule “Tranquility” the eight most popular. Why not the second most? Astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams broke the news to Stephen Colbert on his comedy news show.

“We’ve decided that the Node 3 will be called ‘Tranquility,’” Williams told a shocked-looking Colbert as the audience booed in protest.

“Wait a second!” Colbert exclaimed. “I was assured that my name would be in space. Are you saying that NASA’s going back on that?”

Williams basically told Colbert he was receiving a consolation prize. She said that they would name one of the new space treadmills Colbert (Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill). There will also be a patch on it with Cobert’s likeness stitched in. NASA even invited Colbert to Houston or Florida to test out the new space treadmill for himself.

Williams said that every day when astronauts exercise on the new treadmill, they’ll see his face on the patch and have to tell Mission Control “it’s time to jump on COLBERT.”

Tranquility Base was the touchdown site for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing, 40 years ago this July. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, exploring part of the geographical area known as Mare Tranquillitatis, or the Sea of Tranquility.