Naming and Numbering

[Cydonian Monk]

Satellites and probes get the AOTD (Acronym of the Day) unless they're going somewhere really special... like the next star system. (Ex: LKOP and TK-LX are both polar-orbit mapping satellites, LKO-N is a navmarker at 70km.)

Early-game single-kerb'd craft are named after flightless birds or waterfowl, in one of two non-English languages depending on the launch-site and country of origin (Chicken and Duck are my two most common, which translate to Cearc and Lacha, or Kurczak and Kaczka). Late-game and station-building kerb'd craft are named after work-related words (mainly "work" or "cooperation"), again from the same two non-English languages. Stations vary in names. Haven't seen the need to build a base yet (aside from Jeb's Surfside Shack), so no idea what I'd name one. Lander names vary, though Fios/Cuairt were used for all of my early Mun and Minmus landings.

Launch vehicles use bird names in English: songbirds for satellite-rated (ex: Wren, Lark) and raptors for kerb-rated (ex: Kestrel, Kite). Orbital and transfer stages are named after jays (with grackles thrown in for good measure). Universal heavy lift vehicles are named after sea/wading birds (pelican, heron). My SSTOs are still named X-[somenumber] as none of them have entered active use. They will eventually get unique names per craft. Reusable interplanetary craft and reusable landers get unique names depending on my mood.

[trippytripp]

I give my rockets random names that would sound like they go with a rocket.

For example; Exodus

Then if it fails, i'll go Exodus I, Exodus II, Exodus III, Exodus IV, Exodus V, and so on.

[zekes]

I make a name, then ad "Mk I, Mk II" to it based on he changes ive made. Some of my sucessful ships have Mk IX, Mk X, and Mk XI....... they have so many uses...

[Retrograde]

I usually give probes a technical name. (KerbSat III for my third comms probe)

For manned craft, I give the model name and the nickname. (JH MunFairy Mk.I - "Strider" for my Mun <---> Kerbin crew transport)

For everything that exists in a fixed location, such as a station, comms satelite, or base, I'll add the location as well. (KerbSat III - GeoKbn - E217/215 for the commsat previously mentioned [E means equatorial and the numbers are apoapsis and periapis by kilometers] "Silverlight Base" at Bell's Crater for my mun base and "Big Brother Station - LKO - E152/150" for my main station.

I think that I may be overcomplicating things. What can I say? I like my roleplay.

[M5000]

I have a strange system, but I may change it up to something more standard, as that's something I'd like to strive for, standardized conventions.

Currently, it's all over the map, but I usually start with a something I. And then I add numbers as it gets redesigned.

I also like to give special acronyms to my stuff, depending on what it is.

Other times, it's just an amalgamation of letters.

The ONLY thing that's even close to standard is my rocket/lifters. They're all real-life star based.

Really, I only use one lifter, though, named the Betelgeuse. It can handle pretty much anything, up to 65 tons, so I don't see a reason to use anything else, since there's no money.

[alaskafish]

For example:

OSP AA-R Raven

OSP is my space program, Orion Space Program. The AA-R is since the game alphabetically organizes the ships, it stands for Atmospheric aircraft - Rocket, meaning its a plane that is rocket powered. Then I have a name for it.

Another example is:

OSP UM-L Yenius (Robbaz )

Orion Space Program, Unmanned-Lander Yenius.

[SDIR]

I basically do the same as M5000, except that I add suffixes such as "f" or "p" to denote either mods or if it is probe-powered only. As for missions, I only rename stations, or any semi-permanent craft. Every thing else is stuck with the model name.

[Dravin]

My names are rather unimaginative with things like, "Minimus Sat I", "Mun Sat I", "Mun Shot I" and "Mun Shot II". I do have oddball moments though, like when I created a refueling space station and named it after a local chain of gas stations.

[0x0h]

For me, each launch gets named with a unique mission identifier that's independent of lifter and payload that's composed of the launch site, target planet, number of the target satellite (which is omitted if not visiting a moon), and mission purpose. The three letter code then has the launch number appended to the end. In the case of a sub-mission, like a lunar landing by a detached craft, a suffix letter is added to the end of the launch number and is treated as a separate mission for it's duration. Big projects also get a 'common name' with a number designation. For example, UK1X-28 Pioneer 3 means Launch Site 1 (KSC-1), Planet Kerbin, Moon #1, Experimental - Total Launch #28, Pioneer Project Launch #3. Lifter and payloads are also coded with Model/Revision and a common name, and everything is all neatly placed into a log file with mission reports. The whole thing sounds like a nightmare but it's really not that bad. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself that.

[Agent86]

I typically name them after something that's on my browser at the time, for example, I had a web browser open with Wikipedia open, and it mentioned Alcatraz Island, so I named my first space station Alcatraz. I name the parts accordingly, Alcatraz Core, Alcatraz Solar array, Alcatraz tanker.

I name my spaceplanes after people that I know. Preston, Wendy, Abby, Jade, Karl, etc.

I usually have a couple iterations of large ships, for example, my three interplanetary probe dispensers, Forbin I, II and III, with ever increasing probe deployment (Forbin III has 21 probes, rovers and landers) I was watching a movie called Colossus: The Forbin project at the time.

I have two new stations, Vital Station (LKO) and Veldt Station (LMinO). which take their names from some sci-fi radio plays, The Vital Factor, and The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury that i was listening to.

There are never more than 3 iterations of a particular ship. If I haven't got it right by then, I just start over.

[rakutenshi]

I try my best to make up a word for the name.. my best SSTO's to date have been the Artelos series, managed to get them to a 150km orbit, deploy 8t of payload and land safely back at KSC with fuel and lox to spare... I do like the Roman Numerals, but for major revisions I'll use letters. .. currently on the Artelos D-II

[Ph34rb0t]

Kerbalized names of real space stuff. Kerbnik, Kerblab, Kerbmini, etc..

[BananaLee]

So far, my satellites are Kerbalcom I, II, and III (my three geostationary constellation), Meteo I (geostationary satellite, 10° off from Kerbalcom I) and Kerpolar I (polar satellite)

[Beeman]

I always have some dumb name for my stuff...and I always try to come up with some standardized abbreviation to let me know exactly what that craft is when I'm glancing over the load menu.

First I just named things and gave them a V1, V2, V3 tag for version numbers(with .5s coming with minor changes to the version number) but then stopped doing that entirely for a while. Instead, I'd just name things what I thought they did. Like, if I sent a probe rover and orbiter to mun in one rocket, I'd call it Munar DuProver. Du for dual, P for probe and rover for the rover.

After that, I decided to give things size tags(still giving things dumb names, mind you). So a large orbiter for the mun would be Munar Orbiter L1. There'd also be M and S for one meter and probe sized craft. I actually didn't use that theme for more than a few rockets.

Currently, I use a simple tag for what type of vehicle it is. P1 for the first iteration of a probe, L2 for the second iteration of a lander and so on. I still use dumb names, though...but at least my tags are somewhat sensibly organized >_>

When I get a vehicle to its destination, I tend to change its name, though. Just so I don't get confused in the tracking center if I wind up launching a second mission using a vehicle I've already got out there somewhere.

[shand]

my naming goes: Function Mk#.

So for example I made a space tug to allow moving of modules in and around my space station (this was my first mission as it is unmanned). I called it SpaceTug Mk1. Launched it, failed to circularise and realised the RCS was misplaced. fixing those wouldn't change the designation from Mk1. But I also redesigned it by replacing the R48-7S with 4 LV-1R and a jnr docking port oh and i added lights. So, SpaceTug Mk2.

My next launch was the hub of my space station: Station Hub Mk1. The Mk2 as SAS and lights, but won't be launched until i need to.

Then was the SpaceTug L Mk1 - a large spacetug with one Snr Docking port and one standard docking port. otherwise just a larger spacetug.

For things that will go on to specific missions - they get renamed on the launchpad or when the mission becomes specific.

[annallia]

I tend to make my crafts mission specific so they get named for the mission. Mun Lander MK I, MK II, MK III and so on. If however there is a craft that will remain in space for a long time (non-probe) I tend to think of a different name for it.

Stations as an example, They will be named my mission name KSS for example followed by what version (MK I, II, III) and part letter. A is always the core, Then B, C, D and occasionally I give names like say B1 or B2 which would mean it would use an alternate axis attaching with A. In the end however they end up with a simple name like KSS (Kerbal Space Station) DSRS (Deep Space Refueling Station) and so on.

Probes get destination specific names. Duna-Orbital Probe MK I Or Duna-Lander Probe

Ships if they are ones with no specific mission and will be re-used like my tugs or inter-planetary transfer ships they will be given a name, usually after a ship in Star Trek. No enterprises yet but I did have the Rotarran which was an interplanetary transfer ship. I do have tugs named Rio Grande, Danube, and Rubicon. They still get a designation as to their type so the full name would be something like OT-Rio Grande the OT standing for orbital tug.

[Crown]

I usually use a prefix. ST for station parts, SATellites and TST for test vessels. Any other vessel has no prefix.

The rocket gets a nice description including the version and date (in ISO 8601 format) it's build, and if it's been tested.

[m1919]

I usually follow real world inspired naming schemes. For my Saturn analogs, I name them Jool I through IIX for the actual complete launch vehicles and then go from there. For individual stages I tend to use similar naming schemes from the Saturn series. For my Saturn C-3 Analog, I have first stage S-IB, second stage S-IID and third stage S-IVA. In the case of stage naming, I've modified the naming convention to be indicative of the engine count per stage. So for the Jool C-3 (preliminary design phase) or Jool III (production,) stage one has two engines, stage two has four and stage three has one, count corresponding the number order of the trailing letter.

For modifications or improvements on a stage, I add a Block identifier after the stage name. Example: S-IB Block 1 would be an improved version of original S-IB. Block 0 is denoted by the absence of a Block number after the model name.

Actual spacecraft names I pull from real spacecraft or from sci-fi shows etc.

For project names, I Kerbalize real program names. Kerpollo, Merkery, Kermini, Kerbstellation etc.

Edited August 5, 2013 by m1919