How do you Name your Vessels/missions?

[KerBlam]

Mine get semi-relevant designations followed by a petname... LKO-Heavylifter IV "BARRY"

[Sully805]

I used names like Origin for my sub-orbital launches. Surveyor for my probes to planets. Pioneer for my Kerbin based missions. Ranger for my missions to the Mun. I'm thinking of using Discovery for my Duna based missions.

[mythbusters844]

I sometimes come up with cool names for my ships, but other than that I smash the keyboard until something neat pops up that fits the theme of what I'm building or something that's almost neat pops up which I refine into something awesome which also relates to what's being named.

Ex: *finishes building Russian-esque ship* Whelp, time to name this.

*smashes keyboard* "sdkj" Nope.

*smashes keyboard again* "kpoeiyr" Ooh, this is cool.

*some refining later* Kpoyir I ready to launch!

[SlabGizor117]

I usually start with my "company" name, Slab-Boing - Slabbington children's fireworks toys Inc. and Boeing(without copyright infringement ._.) *Boing Aerospace Co. and then either do a full name or abbreviation for it's function with a mission number and variant letter:

Slab-Boing EAR-1a

Extra-Atmospheric Rocket Mission 1 Version a

[Draconiator]

My first space station was named Irfrit I, after the Final Fantasy summon. And I apparently spelled it wrong ( http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Ifrit ).... Anyway, the heavy lift launcher I designed for it ended up being "Demon I". A second one capable of heavier payloads was "Demon II". and I think I have a candidate for "Demon III". Came up with a brand new rocket I think I'm going to dub the Shiva series. and yes I am a Final Fantasy fan. Never really thought of using character names though...

Quina I - A rocket that eats large amounts of fuel but never gets into orbit because of it (all that character thinks about is food)...lol

[Zabre]

I have a system.

• Rocket: Z-(# of parts) (Lifter (Which is Greek Alphabet)-(Lander (Which is English Alphabet),(if applicable)) ex. Z-34 Gamma-D
  

• Spaceplane: Name is that of bird. Depends on size. ex. small plane would be "Mosquito" or "Hummingbird." Large plane would be "Pelican." etc.
  

• Space Station: Space Station (Greek Letter) ex. Space Station Upsilon
  

I'm a nerd, ok?

[InterCity]

I name my rockets after ICBM's - for their strange habit in exploding.

For example the heavy lifter that took my base to Duna was called UGM-27 Polaris A-3, and its successors were called Poseidon and Trident

Smaller ones are called Sidewinder, Sparrow, Phoenix etc...

And for SSTOs? Cruise missiles! (Tomahawk, Regulus II...)

[Renegrade]

I could have sworn we already had a thread like this before.

The current version of my convention is this:

<class><tech level> <description> <roman numerals: version>

Classes include P for probes (CS for comm sats if so modded), R for manned rockets, T for a template (which becomes a subassembly (uncommon)), S for a station, with a 'B' modifier for a ground base (SB).

Tech level is the level I build it at, using '1' for the 'start' node.

The description is usually fairly obvious, like "MunLandR" (reusable munlander) "MunLandX" (non-reusable), "DunaStat" (gets renamed "Duna 1" when in orbit).

Multiple iterations of the same vehicle have II, III, IV, etc added as a version number. Nowadays, the version number updates even if the vehicle's tech level increases (was not the case historically).

R7 MunLandX IV - Fourth one-shot mun lander, tier 7 technology, manned

P5 KerbOrbSci II - Second Kerbin orbital probe for (ab)use with the science from orbit of Kerbin contract

S8 JoolStat - first version of the Jool orbital manned station.

(really minor tweaks to a given craft may not merit a full version increase, and thus things like 'Ia' or 'IIb' appear)

[Delrey]

I make things up and convince myself it's from kerbal mythology.

Delrey was the name of my first mun program.

I did name my standard crew/utility capsule/service module Hiller after Will Smith's character in Independence Day. It was on.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Delrey