The series greatly influenced public interest in the U.S. Space Program and in education on the topic of space exploration. "Star Trek: The Original Series" ran from 1966 to 1969 benefited from the popularity of the televised Apollo 11 moon landing. The association between "Star Trek" and NASA grew stronger over time - the first NASA orbiter shuttle, Space Shuttle "Enterprise", was named after the USS "Enterprise" of "Star Trek" fame. The IXS "Enterprise", NASA's conceptual design for a superluminal spacecraft, was similarly named after the USS "Enterprise" in 2014.