Poor Stephen Colbert.
On what should have been a day of celebration, with NASA set to officially announce Colbert's moniker as the new name of Node 3 on the International Space Station, ended in disappointment for the Comedy Central host.
While Colbert emerged victorious in an online voting contest to name the compartment on the station thanks to write-in votes from fans, NASA elected to rededicate Node 3 as Tranquility - which finished a meager eighth in the poll. News of NASA tossing Colbert a curveball broke Tuesday evening as astronaut Sunita Williams appeared on "The Colbert Report" to inform the comedian of NASA's decision.
The consolation prize for Colbert? Having a treadmill named in his honor.
Dubbed the "Comibined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill" or COLBERT for short, the treadmill will be used by NASA astronauts while aboard the station to exercise and maintain bone strength.
Luckily, Colbert took the heartbreak in stride. Instead of breaking down in tears or launching into a tirade of expletives, Colbert appeared grateful that his name will still have a presence in outer space - unless, of course, we were viewing a heavily edited version of the show.
The Editorial Board can't help but laugh at the absurdity and attention Stephen Colbert has garnered over the course of the past couple of years. From his presidential election bid to showing his strength in numbers in the NASA voting, Colbert's hybrid role as a political commentator and comedian has won over the hearts of millions of fans. With a storied history of theatrics already under his belt, we eagerly await what's next on tap for the Comedy Central funny man.
