Thought it was worth noting, since I've seen this assumption made a couple times... and I think the truth is more noble than the misconception.
Space Shuttle
Columbia was NOT named after Christopher Columbus, 'discoverer' of the Americas.
Columbia, the oldest orbiter in the Shuttle fleet, is named after the Boston, Massachusetts based sloop captained by American Robert Gray. On May 11, 1792, Gray and his crew maneuvered the Columbia past the dangerous sandbar at the mouth of a river extending more than 1,000 miles through what is today south-eastern British Columbia, Canada, and the Washington-Oregon border. The river was later named after the ship. Gray also led Columbia and its crew on the first American circumnavigation of the globe, carrying a cargo of otter skins to Canton, China, and then returning to Boston.
Other sailing ships have further enhanced the luster of the name Columbia. The first U.S. Navy ship to circle the globe bore that title, as did the command module for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission.
On a more directly patriotic note, "Columbia" is considered to be the feminine personification of the United States. The name is derived from that of another famous explorer, Christopher Columbus.
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.htmlThe association with Christopher Columbus exists, but it is indirect. I think the fact that the Columbia was named for Captain Gray's ship more appropriately expresses the spirit of exploration of the US space program and its Astronaut corps.
