Suggestions for Sci-fi Names to Future Spacecraft

[Battlehymn Republic]

I read that Virgin Galactic’s first suborbital ship is to be called Enterprise. Not a bad name, but it’s too overused. What are the alternatives? It can come from any sci-fi, but should be well-known to the general public. As a result, Star Wars I probably a bad series for the names. Death Star, Executor, and Slave I aren’t going to be suitable in the immediate future for real-life spacecraft. The only possibility is Millennium Falcon- I said well-known to the public! Of course, it’s copyrighted.

I think the first big passenger ship should be the Galactica.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Try the culture books for direct names 'killing time' would be a good name for the first colonization or teramorphing ship

[Junghalli]

Endurance
Discovery
Voyager
Columbia
Challenger
Freedom
Liberty
Stargazer
Magellan
Galileo
Copernicus
Columbus
Shackleton
Pioneer

[salm]

I´d love to see a shagohad.

[Chmee]

I read that Virgin Galactic’s first suborbital ship is to be called Enterprise. Not a bad name, but it’s too overused. What are the alternatives? It can come from any sci-fi, but should be well-known to the general public.

Regrettably, coming from sci-fi and being well-known to the general public gives us very few options. How much of the general public is going to recognize 'Belerephon' ?

[Battlehymn Republic]

Exactly. That's why I'd prefer just a few suggestions in this thread. That means series like the Culture are out. In, instead, are fairly well-known names like the Jupiter 2 or the Galactica.

[Hawkwings]

Space Shuttle names will be used, probably Apollo program names, basically any name that's already been used, they'll use again.

besides "Enterprise", "Falcon" and the lot, there isn't much well-known sci-fi

[TimothyC]

"Excelsior" might be a good name, but I'm not sure how big it is with the general public.

[Lonestar]

Endurance
Discovery
Voyager
Columbia
Challenger
Freedom
Liberty
Stargazer
Magellan
Galileo
Copernicus
Columbus
Shackleton
Pioneer

To expand that list:

Endeavor
Godspeed
Susan Constant
Constellation
Kitty Hawk
Langley
Goddard
Von Braun
Fremont
Gagarin
Zhang He
Vancouver

I know those aren't "science fictiony" but it's a short list for exploration ships.

[TimothyC]

Seeing some of those names made me think
"Alexei Leonov" and "Tsien" (2010)
"Galaxy", "Cosmos", and "Universe" (2061)

[General Zod]

Stuff from the more popular sci-fi series might work, provided it also has some connection with real world mythology as well. EG:

Prometheus
Agamemnon
Defiant
Andromeda


Then there's also naming them after popular/influential sci-fi writers. Such as the Arthur C Clarke, or the Aasimov.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

My list:

Yuri Gagarin <== first astronaut in orbit
Alan Shepard <== first American astronaut
Neil Armstrong <== first Moonman
Buzz Aldrin <== second Moonman
Yang Liwei <== first Chinese astronaut in a Chinese spaceship
Burt Rutan <== designed first private spaceship
Christa McAuliffe <== first civilian astronaut
Mike Melvill <== fellow who flew Burt Rutan's rocketship

[LapsedPacifist]

Anything from Schlock Mercenary...

LP

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Anything from Schlock Mercenary...

LP

POST DATED CHECK LOAN! RAR!

[Hawkwings]

"Pop Diva"

[The Dark]

*Pulls out Jovian Chronicles books* Gotta love sci-fi where they name ships after famous people...

Alexander
Sun Tzu
Cromwell
Patton
Alan Sheppard
Christa McAuliffe
Henry Morgan

or the virtues

Majestic
Regal
Imperial
Victorious
Illustrious
Exalted

[bilateralrope]

My list:

Yuri Gagarin <== first astronaut in orbit
Alan Shepard <== first American astronaut
Neil Armstrong <== first Moonman
Buzz Aldrin <== second Moonman
Yang Liwei <== first Chinese astronaut in a Chinese spaceship
Burt Rutan <== designed first private spaceship
Christa McAuliffe <== first civilian astronaut
Mike Melvill <== fellow who flew Burt Rutan's rocketship

Nameing after famous people involved in spaceflight would probably be the best idea

[Crossroads Inc.]

I'd name mine after cars
-Studibaker-
-Edselon-
-Winabagle-
-Desoto-
-Tucker-

Baring that, a few Mythic ones would be:
-Excaliber-
-Avalon-
-Gilgamesh-
-Soloman-
-Thor-

And just for the fun of it,
-The Imperator-

[Solauren]

Farscape: Moya, Farscape, or any of the main characters's names (debs on being the first to ride the Chianna. Okay, that came out wrong)
Stargate: any of the SG-1 members names

Firefly and Serenity would be good

[The Dark]

I personally like the idea of naming the first civilian ship the Christa McAuliffe. It would be a fitting tribute to the first civilian astronaut.

[TimothyC]

I found my typed up list of the ships in the Franz Joseph Tech Manual.
Most of these should fit somewhere
(Text shrunk to not take up huge swaths of space)

Explorers: (Mythology/Explorers)
HERMES, ANUBIS, AEOLUS, DIANA, QUINTILLUS, BRIDGER, CARSON, BATIDOR, CODY, REVERE, SPAKER, BOWIE, SACAJAWEA, TONTI, CROCKET

Science ships: (Scientists)
PTOLEMY, AL RASHID, ANAXAGORAS, ANAXIMANDER, ARISTARCHUS, IBN DAUD, ERATOSTHENES, GALILEI, HIPPARCHUS, ULUGH BEG, PHILOLAUS, THALES, PYTHAGORAS, HEVELIUS, COPERNICUS, KEPPLER, AMBARTSUMIAN, FLAMARION, SCHIAPARELLI, DESLANDRES, BRAHE, NEWTON, RICCIOLI, CASSINI, DONATI, KIDINNU, PIAZZI, LEVERRIER, LUYTEN, MESSIER, DOPPLER, GALLIOT, HALLEY, HOLDEN, JEFFREY, KUIPER, OORT, PRITCHETT, SAVARY, VOGEL, AIRY, BONDI, CHAUVENET, EDDINGTON, GAUTIER, HENCKE, HUBBLE, LEAVITT, PEALE, RITTENHOUSE, SECCHI, TOMBAUGH, WOLASTON, BAADE, CAMPELL, COLUMBO, GOLDRICKE, ENCKE, HERSCHE, HUMANSON, KLEPSTRA, MITCHELL, PICKERING, ROSS, SHKLOVSKY, TOSCANELLI, WRIGHT, BAYER, CARRINGTON, KRUGER, FRACASTOR, HALE, HIRAYAMA, JANSKY, LAPLACE, NEWCOMB, SABINE, SCHMIDT, VAN DE KAMP, VON ZACH, CHAIMBERLAIN, BIELA, DOLLFUS, GAULE, HAYASHI, HUBBARD, KAULA, LOCKYER, PALITZSCH, REBER, SCHEINER, SWIFT, WALKER, APIAN, BROUWER, CLARK, DREYER, DOLLOND, GOLDREICH, HERTZSPRUNG, IRWIN, KOHLSCHUTTER, MOULTON, POGSON, RUSSEL, SLIPHER, VAN DE HULST, YOUNG, BESSEL, CHALLIS, FLAMSTEED, HENDERSON, HUGGINS, LAGRANGE, OLBERS, PLACKETT, SANDAGE, SCHAWBE, WOLF, BODE, CHANDRASEKHER, EICHELBERGER, ADAMS, HALL, GOLD, HOYLE, JEANS, LANGLEY, PIERCE, ROQUES, SHAPLEY, TODD, BAUM, CARPENTER, DELAMBRE, FROST, LOWELL, VAN MANNEN

Transport ships: (Stars and Constellations)

TIKOPAI, H'YSHUI, K'HOTAN, ALTAIR, FOMALHAUT, NAKARAT, VEGA, ARCTURUS, POLLUX, CAPELLA, CZAR'AK, SARDAR, ALDEBARAN, HOR, CANOPUS, SPICA, AGENA, VENA, ACRUX, BINAR, ANTARES, ANAK, BETELGEUSE, LUX, RIGEL, HELIOS, DARION, ADHARA, ALIOTH, ALKAID, ALNILAM, ARIDED, BELLATRIX, CASTOR, DENEB, DUBHE, EL NATH, MIAPLACIDAS, MIRFAK, MURZIM, POLARIS, REGULUS, SHAULA, WEZAN, ACHERNAR, SOL, RIGIL KENTAURUS, QUINDAR, PROXIMA, ADROCUS, ASTRAD, MONDOLOY, ALFR, THELONII, XANTHII, SIRIUS, SHAHR, PILAR, THOLUS, HOROK, GHONDR, PELIONE, TALI, ANNOBON, CASPAN, JASSAN, PAEGAN, PROCYON, PHARDOS, NDELE, ZINDAR, ZA'FARAN, OOMARU, YAAN, TEMIR, GALINA, SAMAARA, KESTRAL, KEP SALU, KETOI, SINUIJI, EKINUS, OBLIK, MENGEN, SALAYNA, QIZAN, QUAL'AT, TULAN, MAZDA, ESABL, ZAAHM, ALFERAZ, HAJJ, TAJARHI, KASIMAR, MONGO, GHAR, PARI, MIRAZH, ESKIIS, AHZDAR, JENSHAHN, ELOHIM, HIEMDAL, MAAT, SHAANDRA, KARS, ALAM'AK, BEHR'AK, TUTAKAI, ARIES, CAMELOPARDUS, CANIS MAJOR, CANIS MINOR, EQUULUS, LEO, LEO MINOR, LEPUS, LUPUS, LYNX, MONOCEROS, PEGASUS, TAUTUS, URSA MAJOR, URSA MINOR, VULPECULA, CYGNUS, APUS, TUCANA, CORVUS, COLUMBIA, PAVO, AQUILA, GRUS, PHOENIX

[Chardok]

I say name the ship after the first earth born creature to make the ultimate sacrifice to sate man's desire to explore.

The Laika

[Nephtys]

Name 'em after Authors, so in the future, I can read a techno headline like this...


Star Cruiser Roddenberry mutinies! Destroyed in combined search by Heinlien and Asimov!

[Ford Prefect]

Oddly enough, Home One seems to fit for me. Or we could name it after George Lucas.

[Drooling Iguana]

The USS Rick Berman!

* ducks *