Undeterred by getting snubbed in the space shuttle shuffle, Space Center Houston — the official visitor center of Johnson Space Center — received ahigh-fidelity shuttle replica (formerly known as the Explorer) last summer as the centerpiece of its "The Shuttle and 747 Carrier" exhibit.

Now that the shuttle's base, a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, has also arrived, it's time for the faux shuttle to get a new name. And the Space Center is giving Texans the opportunity to choose it.

The statewide Name the Shuttle contest will launch Thursday at 10 a.m. and run through Sept. 2 at noon. Residents are encouraged to "submit an original name that symbolizes the spirit of Texas and its unique characteristics of independence, optimism and can-do attitude." Not that the attitude was enough to land Houston one of the coveted four retired space shuttles that actually went into space.

Still, Space Center Houston has reached the halfway point in the $12 million campaign to build the outdoor shuttle complex, and is accepting (tax deductible) gifts from individual and corporate donors.

When the exhibit opens in Feb. 2015, it will be the first ever to allow visitor access inside of the 747 Carrier and the full-scale shuttle model.