Naming themes of rockets?

[MarvinKitFox]

One should be creative in naming one's spaceships.

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I'm now launching "017 Mun Unmanned Return II"

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Hey, i said "should" be creative, not "is"!

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

OK here goes:

One: I like naming things.  But I don’t like to waste cool names on a vehicle that will only be used once (or twice).

Two: KSP puts things in alphabetical order.

So career mode we do things in reverse alphabetical order so our newest stuff is always at the top.

And  I use ordinal designations for early designs, and the ships only *earn* names when they are perfected and reusable.  Then I use classic NASA style, Greek and roman mythos names ( Rovers:  Calisto and Hermes, my dual engine nuclear lander is the Icarus, its mothership nuclear tug; Daedalus. )   I have a website for that: http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/contents.html

So Zed 1 is the first suborbital rocket.  And payloads are named for their purpose.

By Zed 4, I have a reliable orbital rocket, (once I have a reliable rocket I see that as a sub-assembly) and we name payloads for their purpose: so we end up with the “Zed04 Passenger Missile.”

With the advent of 2.5 m parts we go into the “Y” (Yankee) series.  The Yankee II is a reliable orbital lifter, and the Yankee 3 is a reliable Moon rocket.  I have a running joke with myself that the Kerbals are unable to keep an ordinal system straight so it is usually Duna One, followed by Duna II, then Duna 3 etc.  A failed attempt gets the name of its predecessor, so I have launched “Duna One II” which crashed, so I had to send “Duna One II Rescue” which got there, and secured the situation, but didn’t have enough fuel to come home, said it was followed by “Duna One II Rescue 2” 

And during the development of any given part there will be a suffix designating which version of the design this is, i.e Yankee II 03c, once perfected it simply becomes Yankee II.  So by combining payload names and rocket names we end up with VAB files like “Y2 Skylab One” or “Y3 Munbase Alpha”. (oh, I also steal names from reality and from science fiction.) Once in orbit, we lose the rocket’s designation.

In my current career game we have just cracked tech tier 6.  The beginnings of 3.5 meter parts, and the nuclear engine.  3.5 m rockets will be the X- series, but I’m not quite there yet.  So given that I’m just as the beginning of “X,” I’m calling it the X-Zed series. I’m currently working on a reusable single engine nuclear lander, and a scaled down version of the Daedalus, based on the technology I have.  

Two “X-Zed Alpha” Landers carried by the “X-Zed Explorer” tug are scheduled to do “grand tour” mission of the Mun and Minmus harvesting the science points as a warmup for the Daedalus doing grand tour of the solar system.

Anyway, that’s how I name things.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[MoonMan22]

21 hours ago, ToukieToucan said:

So, I have this small problem of what theme I should use for my rockets?

 

My themes of the last game:

Manned: Aztec gods (not a good idea, quite long names like Quetzalcoatl or Huitzilopotchli)

Unmanned: Lakes

Relay System: Indian tribe names

Exploration: Officers of World War 2

Testing: Gemstones

 

Any ideas for my new vessels?

I personally like going Elon Musks route and using my favorite movies and shows. My current fleet are Star Wars related:

OB-1 (Small suborbital booster)

SOLO-v1 (medium lifter)

Skywalker v1

[jarmund]

I normally name mine after fish. My mk2 spaceplane is somewhat flat and wide, and was appropriately named Flounder. The mk3 version is Halibut.

One major exception is my Laythe lander. During my hardmode (no reverts, no cheaty quickloads, the dead stay dead) my test-pilot was the sole pilot in the development of the Laythe lander - a spaceplane that would detatch from the mothership, glide down, fly to a good landing site, drop a parachuted science-probe, and do a VTOL style landing close to the probe. After sciencing with and without the probe, a VTOL takeoff followed by getting to orbit without staging was next on the agenda. All in all, some serious testing was needed. Somehow, Linlotte survived it all, and did such a good job that the vessel was named after her. She also ended up doing the actual Laythe mission, despite the plan was for her to remain my expendable test pilot.

[jonrd463]

Utilitarian, functionally descriptive is generally the way I go for rockets and rocket-based vehicles. For communications satellites, it's usually the planet/body name + "net", and a number. Geostationary constellations are usually made up of 4, so KerbinNet1 through 4, DunaNet1 through 4, etc. The ones in the off axes start at 5. Vehicles that have a real world analogue, or at least close, will get a variation of their real world names. For example, my ScanSat/Ore scanning vehicles are Munar Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Duna Reconnaissance Orbiter (DRO), etc.

I haven't chosen a name or class for my lifters, other than their capability, i.e. 5-ton, 10-ton, etc., and as mentioned in another thread, they sit in standby as subassemblies depending on what I'm sending up.

Spaceplanes and SSTOs get more unique names, however. A large OPT mod-based SSTO plane I've made with the largest parts is called Brutus, and my MK3 NASA-alike shuttle system is called the Kelly, after Scott Kelly.

Edited February 7, 2016 by jonrd463

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

Generally in my career save, I'll reuse rocket types for contracts. Like I have the Resqer series (get it? Res-Q-Er?) to do orbital rescues. I'm up to the Resqer... 5? I think? I recently released the Resqer H1, which proved itself capable of a high-Kerbin rescue, and I will attempt a Mun rescue with it.

In addition, I have the Ferry 7, the latest in tourist needs. But for other ships I just make something up.

[Red Dwarf]

I personally go for atomic and subatomic particles. The Lepton, Muon, and Fermion were all heavy cargo shuttle craft, and were the workhorses of my fleet. For larger payloads I had an enormous SSTO rocket, the Boson. I never finished developing that to my satisfaction. Maybe someday... 

[Dr.K Kerbal]

NASA's SLS rocket should be renamed Orian.

Oh Wait.

IT IS ALREADY NAMED ORIAN!!!!

[SR]

call them names that tell you what they are.

for example call a Mun base, Mun base.

or a kerbin space station Kerbin space station.

[Wjolcz]

Mostly birds and flying insects.

[Death Engineering]

Most boring ever:

"22t", "45t", "85t".        (mass to LKO)

[Evanitis]

13 minutes ago, Death Engineering said:

"22t", "45t", "85t"

Damn, I was sure I give the most boring rocket names of ever. Now I'm beaten.

[ToukieToucan]

My manned test vechiles are called Hindenburg I, II, III, etc... Ofcourse Jebediah is only brave enough to fly them.

my unmanned test vechiles are called Titanic I, II, III, etc

[SAI Peregrinus]

Culture-style names for most of mine. Some examples:

 

Agorophile

Lapse of Sanity

Illusory Lie

Just Like A Simile

Indivisible Composite

Echo of a Dissipating Dream

Still Life With Supernova

SSK(S(K(SS(S(SSK))))K)

(λx. λy. x y x) (λy. λx. y (x y x))

The Change of Philomel

Look On My Ship, Ye Mighty, And Despair

If You Can Read This, You Are Literate

Gesture Without Motion

 

Etc, etc. Those names too long for the in-game interface get a reference number to my list, as do those with characters that don't show up properly (like the lambda calculus Y combinator one above).

[Wonky kergineer]

Awesome topic. I don't have a scheme, but i see good ideas here, i will probably adopt a method. Right now i name things pretty randomly since i usually use my designs just once and then i do the thing from scratch -that's me fighting my noobishness-. My "persistent" things like in example the Mun orbital station is called Avalon -i loved the book The Death of King Arthur when i was a young lad-, and the lander is called Jormunlander, like the mythical beast and... yeah, sorry about that. The Minmus orbital station is called Apophis because it sounds badass, and it's lander is Minmlander... yeah, ran out of inspiration here.

[Christoph1337]

It's been a while since I checked. At the moment, I'm planning a new Science Mode series with plans to name them after gemstones. Here's what I have planned: 

Quartz Series: suborbital flight 

Pearl Series: Mun missions 

Turquoise Series: Minmus 

Ruby Series: Duna 

Amethyst Series: Eve 

Zircon Series: Moho 

Emerald Series: Jool (will probably have several specially-named probe to investigate the moons) 

Diamond Series: Eeloo 

[Provisional Name 12]

This is interesting, I really don't have a good scheme and I should probably figure one out.

Right now I have assignment types like Commuter for tourism missions and rescuer for rescue missions and I use a number scheme that is mostly based on the rocket version and change up the payload quite a bit. If I have a significant design I want to save separately from the rocket design I will name it the number point another number, similar to program versions (eg 7.2 or 7.5 instead of 7). I don't usually number anything that isn't at least the second version of something. One thing I have been doing out of boredom is taking internet acronyms and bacronyming them into names. At first it started with the Tango Lima Delta Romeo mun strander (it was supposed to be a lander but...) and it dropped off the Tango Lima Delta Rover. I have been trying to move off the phonetic alphabet though.

 

There are some interesting ideas here. One thing I might suggest to the OP is that there is probably less of a difference between Germanic and Norse gods than there is between orbital stations and refueling stations. All the examples he mentioned from those both are part of the same mythical cannon.

[ToukieToucan]

12 minutes ago, SpaceCommunism said:

This is interesting, I really don't have a good scheme and I should probably figure one out.

Right now I have assignment types like Commuter for tourism missions and rescuer for rescue missions and I use a number scheme that is mostly based on the rocket version and change up the payload quite a bit. If I have a significant design I want to save separately from the rocket design I will name it the number point another number, similar to program versions (eg 7.2 or 7.5 instead of 7). I don't usually number anything that isn't at least the second version of something. One thing I have been doing out of boredom is taking internet acronyms and bacronyming them into names. At first it started with the Tango Lima Delta Romeo mun strander (it was supposed to be a lander but...) and it dropped off the Tango Lima Delta Rover. I have been trying to move off the phonetic alphabet though.

 

There are some interesting ideas here. One thing I might suggest to the OP is that there is probably less of a difference between Germanic and Norse gods than there is between orbital stations and refueling stations. All the examples he mentioned from those both are part of the same mythical cannon.

Right but then refueling stations and space stations are also almost the same.

[Provisional Name 12]

I was just letting you know, the way it was posted made it seem like they were separate things when they are generally not, so I wasn't sure you knew.

 

On an unrelated note, this page with the lists of name themes is pretty cool and it has some pretty cool stuff on it, like D&D monsters or Diablo 2 name themes. Definately worth bookmarking.

[Provisional Name 12]

OK, cause of this and the added tool of the naming scheme site I have cooked something up that will be quite fun, my new naming scheme will be:

 

Manned: Gods, Goddesses and Demons of Death and the Underworld (Anubis, Hel, Charon)

Unmanned: Synonyms for Intoxication (Blittzed, Sloshed, Tipsy)

Grounded bases: Historical quack medical beliefs (consumption, spontaneous generation, the humors)

Space stations: Circles of hell (The River Acheron, Limbo, The Marsh of Styx)

Planes (all types): Serial Killers (Bundy, Gacy, Son of Sam)

Tourism: STDs

Rescue: Tyrants (Hitler, Franco, Pinochet)

[Overland]

8 hours ago, SpaceCommunism said:

OK, cause of this and the added tool of the naming scheme site I have cooked something up that will be quite fun, my new naming scheme will be:

 

Manned: Gods, Goddesses and Demons of Death and the Underworld (Anubis, Hel, Charon)

Unmanned: Synonyms for Intoxication (Blittzed, Sloshed, Tipsy)

Grounded bases: Historical quack medical beliefs (consumption, spontaneous generation, the humors)

Space stations: Circles of hell (The River Acheron, Limbo, The Marsh of Styx)

Planes (all types): Serial Killers (Bundy, Gacy, Son of Sam)

Tourism: STDs

Rescue: Tyrants (Hitler, Franco, Pinochet)

Do you have a groundbase basil by any chance?

[Bev7787]

Bases: [Name of planet] Base

Stations: Mythology

Satellites: [Name of contacter] [Whatever satellite launch it is e.g. Jeb 1]

Probes: Discovery, Voyager, anything along those lines

Manned ships: Orbiter 1 etc. Yes, originality

Rockets: Birds e.g. Finch

[TyrannoFan]

My space programs are kerbal version of real space programs (though they don't really do the same things). The names of my crafts allude to their purpose, and are in whatever language the the country launching it is meant to be. If its a mixed country (like Japanese + German) I combine their words together. Japan likes to use English words occasionally for some reason, so I can also sneak in an English word.

Now, while this leads to nice names, I am 100% certain they probably look stupid to people who actually speak the languages.

[Provisional Name 12]

1 hour ago, Overland said:

Do you have a groundbase basil by any chance?

Well first off I would prefer to knock off the solid historical ones, but are you referring to the quack aids treatment guy or a specific quack treatment involving basil?

Just today I paired a rescue mission with a tourism mission. "Hitler's Syphilis"

[RizzoTheRat]

Glad I'm not the only one with no imagination.  I'm currently working on SSTO4 as an attempt to get a reusable aircraft to launch the components for MinBase 1, which I hope to build before Duna Probe A and Duna Probe B arrive at their destination (go on, have a guess where they're going).

I think the only craft I have with a proper name at the moment is the Spider Crane that will be assembling my bases.