How do you name your vessels?

[garwel]

Looking at other people's playthroughs, I found that everybody has their own naming conventions for their vessels. Some use real space program names, others borrow from science fiction, yet others come up with completely made-up words, etc.

As to me, I'm trying to be as practical as possible. So I came up with a naming convention that helps me find the right ship in the VAB/SPH to use as a template for the new one, and also helps me understand the purpose of a vessel in the list. So my ships' names are quite nerdy, even boring, but tell me a lot. For instance, AWI 001 is the first interplanetary rover, M3LM 005 is a Mun/Minmus lander with a crew of 3 (vessel 5 in this class), etc. I often add a brief name like "Eve CommSat" or "Duna Low Orbiter" to better describe the purpose of the craft. It's not very beautiful, but it's worked well for me. However, with KSP Craft Organizer and Persistent Dynamic Pod Names, I think I can come up with something better.

So, how do you name your great - and not so great - vessels?

[p1t1o]

A similar degree of pragmatism usually: MunProbe II, CommSat VI 90Mm, MinLander etc.

Sometimes the wording might be "jazzed up" a bit if I have launched a lot of that class and need to differentiate a version, so "MunProbe XIV" becomes "MunSpy I" for example, or "MunSpike" for a lander.

Occasionally for more significant craft (manned interplanetary, long-term one-off missions etc) I will give them a more whimsical, bespoke name like "Vision", "Duna Cruiser" or "System Phoenix" or somesuch.

[DrLicor]

The probes are named to their fuction in my game, like ComSat I [Earth]. Vessels with for instance a command module, get a historical name or something fancy Champagne Bottle comes up with.

Edited October 24, 2016 by DrLicor

[RX2000]

I pretty much name mine what they are. So like Kerbin ComSat, Mun ComSat, Munar Lander I, Minmus Probe I, Munar Science Station, etc etc.

[JohnnyPanzer]

I always use the same system, though the theme of the names changes from save to save.

To begin with, I always use modular designs made up of pre-constructed subassemblys and then each launch gets its own .craft file. So subassemblys are the real meat and bone, while vessel saves only serve as a history book of sorts. I then use the following naming conventions:

Subassemblys are named either according to a common theme (for launchers) or according to function. They also get a numerical 'Mk', with each Mk denoting a major version change. For smaller tweaks the same Mk is kept with an added letter. So a lander with updated science equipment after unlocking a new tech node would go from 'Mk3' to 'Mk3b'. Utterly outdated designs are deleted to avoid cluttering up The subassembly UI. Examples:

2-man Atmo Lander Mk3

K-Sat LKO Relay Mk2c

Scarab Launcher Mk7

Junebug Launcher Mk1b

As for vessels, I name them according to ongoing missions and then give them roman numerals in sequence of launch. Each mission has a pretty wide scope, its own mission patch and a name that fits the mission statement. There can be more than one ongoing mission at any given time. Examples from my current save:

Basic exploration of Mun and Minmus: Modesty I-XIV

Mining Operations on Minmus: Core I-VII

Exploration of Duna and Ike: Crimson Dawn I-III

In addition to these rules, planes and rovers are named "PzType 'Name' Versionnumber-Versionletter" where the name simply has to be unique and the number is in the tens. So for example:

PzFl 'Spearhead' 30-B

PzSp 'Orbiter' 70-C

PzRv 'Observer' 20-A

Edited October 24, 2016 by JohnnyPanzer

[Fred Cop]

I usually try to give my crafts an "inspirational" name (as a result, almost half of my crafts are named "Horizon", "First steps", etc) and add "1" to the end. This unnecessary numerical addition is inspired by something in the animation software I use.

All models are given their normal model name with "1", "2", "3", etc added onto the end (depending on how many copies of it are in the scene). I'm so used to it, its no surprise that I apply it to anything I can.

 

Admittedly, I like the sound of the idea of a naming scheme used to hint where the craft'll go (e.g. M1LO - Moon, Low Orbit / DSS - Duna Space Station / etc). Maybe someday I'll try it out.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Fred Cop

[problemecium]

I click on the little bar at the top where it says "Untitled Space Craft" and type a new name in there, then save or launch the ship. Yep, that's how I name my vessels ;P

[klgraham1013]

Something along the lines of R-25 Hermes or A-9 Pegasus.  Letter for craft type plus Greek myth figure.

[flatbear]

I name them like roman emperors with imperial victory titles.  Instead of scipio africanus ("Victorious in africa") , germanicus ("Victorious in Germania") , claudius britannicus ("Victorious in Britain") , Lucius Verus Armeniacus ("Victorious in Armenia") Parthicus Maximus ("The great victor in Parthia") Medicus("Victorious in Media"), I give my ships names like scipio municus, publius dunicus the elder, Claudius minmicus maximus.  It makes them grander sounding

Edited October 25, 2016 by flatbear

[fireblade274]

Klarf 1, Schlarf 1.1, Marf 2, Klarp 2, Marp 4.2, Schlarp 1.7., Scotchy 1, The list truly goes on for me.

Edited October 25, 2016 by fireblade274

[Freshmeat]

This particular save, I use names of the Nordic mythology, as well as a variety of birds, for the vessels. And for variety, I use my native danish instead of english. The missions to a destination get a mission name and a number. So the Mun missions are Silverstreak I-IX, while the vessels where a mixture of Crow and Raven vessels. The Raven V turned out to be extremely successful with a slight modification (cheaper than the VI to IX models, and almost same capacity), so my go to prefab is Raven Vb. Once I unlock the 3.75m parts they will form the White-Tailed Eagle (Havørn in danish) series of lifters.

[hms_warrior]

My first rocket: Up!

My first plane: flyme!

Allways....it's like some kind of reflex.

Edited October 25, 2016 by hms_warrior

[Allocthonous]

I haven't really settled on a concrete naming scheme yet, but I usually stick to a consistent one within a career save. My first long-term save, every different model of craft was given the name of something that swam. Tiny satellites were polyps, and then ostrocods. SSTOs were seals and sealions. I think one of my stations got named clownfish. That sort of thing.

The next couple games I did, everything was given a serial number based on SOI, orbital characteristics, science equipment on board, and engine type. Space stations were just labeled with the SOI and orbit. So I'd have things like 'Ker-HO-TBA-Ant-1' which indicated a sat in Kerbin High Orbit, carrying a thermometer, barometer, and antenna, powered by an ant engine, and the first sat in Kerbin's SOI. That got kind of unwieldy, and I probably won't do that again.

My current game, I've been giving relay sats and stations themed names. All of the relays in Kerbin's SOI are named 'Switchboard' with a number after them, Duna's are named 'Sirocco', Solar orbit are named 'Lone Candle' and so on. The space station I've got in Kerbin's influence is named 'Tannoy Station' and has massive relay power. That sort of thing.

A lot of my ships just end up being 'Manned Minmus Lander Mission 1' or whatever, though. If it's not going to be up there while I'm not controlling it, I don't really bother.

[Sidereus]

Vehciles that are primarily designed to test parts get called TR-XX, i.e. TR-01, TR-02, etc. My first couple of rockets are always named Nova I, Nova II, etc.

Things like communications relays, satellites launched for contracts, bases, and stations tend to get descriptive acronyms. Manned missions tend to get Greek and Roman god names, like Apollo, Ares, etc.

But I don't have any hard rules, so I tend to name 'em whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Sidereus

[Boris Kerball]

LOL.. Numpty Kerbal Here ..I wish I used a method like you guys I ran out of Kerbals. YOU HAVE REACHED 12 LIMIT> OH no i have no more Pilots.. !! Dont Panic Mr Mannering.

Where are they all .Apllo 6.7.8. GEMINI 1,2,3,4,5 who is in what ship, i FOUND ONE Kerbal orbiting Kerbal, No coms, no command module, smiling away so rescue 1 new mission, I found JEB,& Milvie and 1 other on the Minmus space science station Housed 16 kerbals..lol.  Rescue mission 2 . I have to admit I have become good at changing orbit and landing with-in 1-3km rescueing downed pilots.  I think my next ship will be called International Rescue..FAB ( Mr Tracy)..

Numpty Kerbal

[Starhawk]

I usually start a new career game with:

Up Goer 1
Up Goer 2
Up Goer 3
...

Happy landings!
 

[TheEpicSquared]

For lifters, I name the "class" a certain name - for example Spitfire. It's usually followed by A or B - A means that there's a single core first stage with SRBs (like the Delta IV) and B means that there are additional boosters of the same core stage (like the Delta IV Heavy). Then I have numbers, signifying the number of boosters on the first stage.

So Spitfire A-2 is a Spitfire class rocket with 2 additional SRBs (like the Detla IV Medium+), and Spitfire B-2 is a Spitfire class rocket with 2 additional cores (like the Delta IV Heavy).

 

For satellites, I usually name them what they are - so a comsat around Kerbin would be ComSat1, ComSat2,, etc. Comsats around the Mun would are called MunSat1, MunSat2, etc. Comsats around Minmus are be MinSat1, MinSat2, etc. You get the idea.  

[kotomikun]

The same way I name everything else. Badly.

Stupid vessel names like "Wombotron" and "Landerdoge" are common in my saves. Often the destination is worked into the terribleness, such as "Duna Lawnchair" (and its successor, "Duna Lawncouch"). Multiple iterations of this nonsense led to a base near the mod-planet Sarnus known as "Shawarmus Base." Occasionally there's a marginally clever one like "Red Rover."

Names of the saves themselves are even more bizarre--my big giant visit everything career save was "The Road of Ultimate."

[NSEP]

Here is a list of my common spacecraft names

-Anne

-Harman

-Victor

-Loesje

And more names like that.

 

[Curveball Anders]

I stick to boring functional names.

Like Kerbin Station One, Quad Return, Quad Taxi, Robo Tug ...

I'm so old and ditzy that I forget what ship is supposed to do what otherwise

[Goddess Bhavani]

R-1
R-2
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
R-7 (Semyorka)

You now have an idea of what my career craft are inspired by
Landers are LK- series, probes are Venera series and test articles that end up being abandoned in space are Cosmos series! 

This is a very functional naming system - I can have vehicle stacks sorted by launcher and tell which design has more deltaV at a glance. 

I also have a P.O.S. series of primitive orbital stations (stock parts...)

Would you pick an R-2/LK-0 or R-10/POS-1 for a deep space expedition?

Edited October 25, 2016 by pandoras kitten