Ideas for aircraft/spacecraft names

[CaelumEtAstra]

Have some ideas for cool aircraft and spacecraft names or are in need of inspiration? Post here! 

Personally, I'm running out of things to call my fighter jets and cargo planes. Suggestions are appreciated. 

(Note to moderators--If this thread is in the wrong place, feel free to move it to the appropriate forum.) 

[steuben]

A few of mine,

Eagle - transport craft for the Turtle class of surface miner

Turtle - surface miner

Eagle's Nest - orbital support station for the Eagle class of vessel

Gull - low altitude satellite air-space launcher

Basket - general name for tourist rated vessels

Sow - surface to space fuel transport (Minmus rated)

Piglet - surface fuel transport vessel

Linebacker - orbital fuel transport vessl

Mole - surface to orbit mining vessel (Minmus rated)

Rig - orbital fuel refinery

 

Most the names come through shape of the vessel, depending on how I squint my eyes, the Turtle, Linebacker, Gull. Or how vessel relate to each other, Turtle -> Eagle, Sow -> Piglet.

 

Of course Ralph, George, Tom, Dick, Harry, and Up-Goer, work as well.

[Tokay Gris]

I have two cruisers doing the Mun/Minmus runs right now in service:

The Interplanetary Cruisers "Ellen Louise Ripley" and the "Amelia Earhart".

A "Friday" is in planning, as well as a "Delenn"

Smaller vessels usually don't get names. Just type of craft and destonation. F.e. "Orbital Science Station MK1 Minmus Two" or some such.

[Chakat Firepaw]

4 hours ago, Tokay Gris said:

The Interplanetary Cruisers "Ellen Louise Ripley" and the "Amelia Earhart".

OK, those names are just asking for it.

One for unwanted passengers, the other for getting lost.

[DaMachinator]

Names of elements and subatomic particles, practical names that tell me exactly what something does, and (all my favorite names) EsperNet IRC GameServ namegen command. 

[Tokay Gris]

"OK, those names are just asking for it.

One for unwanted passengers, the other for getting lost."

 

Actually, I hadn't though about that in this way...

 

But yes! You are right. 

 

Any thoughts for the other two names?

Ok, "Friday" might be rather unknown. A female character in a book by Robert Heinlein. Kind of a secret agent. A "badass" if you like.

And "Delenn" of course is from Babylon 5, but I can't think of any Kerbal related meanings to this... 

Edited June 14, 2016 by Tokay Gris

[Chakat Firepaw]

54 minutes ago, Tokay Gris said:

Ok, "Friday" might be rather unknown. A female character in a book by Robert Heinlein. Kind of a secret agent. A "badass" if you like.

It's generic enough to not draw bad name karma, or at least any such karma would be drawn from Defoe rather than Heinlein.

54 minutes ago, Tokay Gris said:

And "Delenn" of course is from Babylon 5, but I can't think of any Kerbal related meanings to this... 

I can't think of any obvious problems using her as a name source.

 

The sources for bad name karma are twofold:

Names that link to bad fates or traits:  e.g. The "Amelia Earhart" is asking for navigation problems because of her reputation for getting lost.  Or if you were to name a ship the "Curacao" you would want to keep it away from passenger liners because of what the Queen Mary did to the cruiser Curacao during WWII.

Arrogant names, unless you are the Royal Navy:  A ship named "Surprise" is asking to be ambushed, "Courageous" for craven captains, "Invincible" to be sunk on her maiden voyage, etc.

[Tokay Gris]

So far and in many missions, the IPC "Ellen Louise Ripley" hasn't attracted any unwanted passengers.

And the IPS "Amilia Earhart" hasn't been lost.

So far.

The "Colin Campbell" is sitting on the launchpad - so to speak - but since there are no formidable foes, it can't live up to its name anyway.

I can't find where I got the idea from, but the ship names from Banks "Culture"-series I really REALLY like... Will use them....

[cubinator]

I started a new career today, and I named one of my rockets "Pen 1". I hope I don't make too many iterations...

[HazelPine]

Couple days later, Pen 12, Pen 13, and Pen 14 all fail to reach Duna, the last iteration, Pen 15, makes it and all are happy.

Joking aside, my craft names work almost like boat names. I usually call them by the model, the iteration and then it's own unique name.

For example: QTS (Quick To Space) Mk1 "Lucky", a mun orbiter which never actually got to fly.

[max_creative]

Bird = plane 

PT = plane test 

AAAAAAA!!! = Messing around with planes 

Jeb's joyride = Messing around with rockets. Not to be confused with Jeb's Joyride mk1, which is one of my cruisers.  

rock garden [insert number] = asteroid tug. For example RG Dres4, which is the 4th asteroid tug orbiting Dres. 

KSS _____________ = some special cruiser. For example the KSS Creativity, which is my Jool 5 ship. 

__________ Class Cruiser = Some type of cruiser. For example my Weirdness and Stuff class cruiser. 

 

Basically, I'm good at naming cruisers and not much else. 

[Kami_K220]

I am Currently running the Kiwi Space Program. All my names are NZ themed
Probes / Sats = Town or Cities
Manned missions = Native Trees

Planes = Native Birds

Orbital stations = Rivers

Bases = Mountain Ranges
Rovers = Introduced Mammals
Large Ferry ships = Oceans / Lakes

 

[MDZhB]

I have no direct naming convention. I used to be really literal and call things "Jool Probe" and "Mun Lander 4." I had a whole letter system figured out for airplanes, so I had the P-3, J-5, G-1, etc. Now I name things after whatever I want. I've used obscure deities (Dazbog, Qetesh, Innana),  anime characters (Noriko, Ranma), the word "Phantasmagoria", and acronyms (DES)

Once I made a ship to crash into the Sun, and I called it "To heck with the Sun."

Just use whatever you want, really.