Naming Spacecraft

Naming Spacecraft: Confusion Reigns, Collectspace
“Sometimes the spacecraft-naming process became controversial and resulted in battles of will between the flight crews and self-appointed screening experts at NASA headquarters. Gus Grissom almost ran afoul of the approval loop but won out in the end. See sidebar, What’s In A Name?, (below). His choice, “Molly Brown,” was eventually approved. However, the NASA Headquarters bureaucrats were so “ticked off” after the Grissom incident no names were allowed for the remaining Gemini flights (4 through 12) and Apollo flights 7 and 8, merely the official numerical designations were used. i.e. Gemini 4, 5 etc., and Apollo 7 and 8.”