Author Topic: BFR/BFS/ITS Naming speculation thread (Read 30465 times)

Robotbeat · « **Reply #20 on:** 10/03/2017 11:51 pm »

"Now, class, who can tell me what BFR stands for?"
😂

KelvinZero · « **Reply #21 on:** 10/04/2017 12:07 am »

Quote from: Jcc on 10/03/2017 11:17 pm

Quote from: KelvinZero on 10/03/2017 10:55 pm
Ironic, all this effort to find the iconic name for something we hope to become the 747 of spaceflight

Maybe it's the Dreamliner of space flight.

These names all tend to become ironic in the future. I expect there will be a time when the Dreamliner is right at the bottom of the scale of dreaminess.

It will be nice to have a name for the project but I look forward to it becoming just a number, like the 747.

In terms of names, I think rather than something that underlines it's massiveness (that will become ironic) the name should underline that it is the beginning of a new class.

Think a 100 years from now, looking back. What would you call this first real rocket ship, no longer the biggest or baddest?

Two names that people have suggested earlier:
"Millennium", could be a good name for the rocket that redefines spaceflight at the start of this millennium.
"Phoenix", with it's relationship to birth.

TomNTex · « **Reply #22 on:** 10/04/2017 12:22 am »

Condor 31

docmordrid · « **Reply #23 on:** 10/04/2017 03:23 am »

Quote from: Jcc on 10/03/2017 10:31 pm

Quote from: Nibb31 on 10/03/2017 08:02 pm
SpaceX names have all been based on birds of prey (Merlin, Kestrel, Falcon...) or dragons (Dragon, Draco). There are plenty of names available in those themes.

They should just call it the Lammergeier and get on with it.

Eagle?
>

Pouakai (Maori: giant Haast's Eagle)

Osprey

Peregrine

Thunderbird (Algonquian Tbirds have an X like shape)

Zed_Noir · « **Reply #24 on:** 10/04/2017 03:54 am »

Somewhat tongue in cheek. The BFR should be henceforth known as the "JUGGERNAUT"

Definition of juggernaut from the Merriam-Webster dictionary

1: a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path

2 chiefly British: a large heavy truck
(should appeal to Chris B)

Even better "Juggernaut" is also a Marvel ~~Super Villain~~ character

Dave G · « **Reply #25 on:** 10/04/2017 01:58 pm »

On another thread, we discussed using the name Godzilla.

I guess it would all depend of whether the owners of the Godzilla trademark thought it could help their marketing.

AlexP · « **Reply #26 on:** 10/04/2017 02:48 pm »

Maybe they can continue the trend of naming after things from sci fi shows.

BFS - Tiny Rick
BFR - Pickle Rick
Mars City - Citadel of Ricks

M.E.T. · « **Reply #27 on:** 10/04/2017 02:54 pm »

I think they should move away from quirky and/or humorous names such as OCISLY, JRTI and Heart of Gold. ITSy was even worse, in my view. Stick to serious names such as Falcon, Merlin, Raptor etc. Big F*%$#! Rocket similarly makes the whole thing sound as if it is half a joke and not to be taken seriously.

Go for names in the line of Apollo, Atlas, Ares, Gemini and the like. Something that sounds awe inspiring. Not something that sounds silly and self deprecating.

KelvinZero · « **Reply #28 on:** 10/04/2017 03:34 pm »

Not "Monty Python's Flying Circus" then?

I disagree though. I don't think it needs just the right name to inspire awe or credibility. IMO right now Elon is happy for serious people in the business to ignore it while generating viral publicity using goals that won't actually be relevant until the battle is already won. This will (we should all hope) be the new paradigm that sweeps all those pretentiously named throw away rockets into the dustbin of history.

I think the project name should represent that it is in a different class, and a totally different naming convention is one way of doing that. Humour is one way of doing it.

Remember that the 747 was also commonly called the Jumbo Jet. That is what success sounds like.

KelvinZero · « **Reply #29 on:** 10/04/2017 04:06 pm »

Random thought: The SpaceX Swan.

Rocket names at the moment are the biggest gods or aggressive bird of prey. Once you have named something the biggest or baddest, where do you go with naming then? Why not change the paradigm? This rocket does not need to out-brag its peers. It has no peers. The next rocket may be bigger.

It is not size that defines this rocket. It is also sort of graceful in it's landing manoeuvre and it's wings. These are more unique aspects that separate it from what has come before.

This is a fairly iconic image from early SciFi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_Swan

I haven't read that series, I mainly remember it from The Terran Trade Authority book series, where it was described as a luxury passenger liner from memory.

Also, unlike previous rockets, perhaps it is not the massive booster you should think of as the primary component. Instead you want a word to describe the ship, so you should be thinking of a name suitable for a passenger vessel that looks like a graceful white bird with black wing tips (and possibly that lands on water)

I tried to look for a white bird with black wing tips, but apparently most birds come in a variety of colours. Who Knew? :-). I only found examples like Snow Goose, Whooping Crane.

QuantumG · « **Reply #30 on:** 10/05/2017 03:39 am »

Quote from: M.E.T. on 10/04/2017 02:54 pm

similarly makes the whole thing sound as if it is half a joke and not to be taken seriously.

[..] Not something that sounds silly and self deprecating.

I prefer to say "disarming". While you're giggling at the name you're not giggling at the idea.

MichaelBlackbourn · « **Reply #31 on:** 10/05/2017 03:45 pm »

Shotwell just called it the Big Falcon Rocket. There it is.

I hope the name sticks.

Patchouli · « **Reply #32 on:** 10/05/2017 04:07 pm »

Quote from: KelvinZero on 10/04/2017 12:07 am

These names all tend to become ironic in the future. I expect there will be a time when the Dreamliner is right at the bottom of the scale of dreaminess.

It will be nice to have a name for the project but I look forward to it becoming just a number, like the 747.

In terms of names, I think rather than something that underlines it's massiveness (that will become ironic) the name should underline that it is the beginning of a new class.

Think a 100 years from now, looking back. What would you call this first real rocket ship, no longer the biggest or baddest?

Two names that people have suggested earlier:
"Millennium", could be a good name for the rocket that redefines spaceflight at the start of this millennium.
"Phoenix", with it's relationship to birth.

The name Falcon also was a nod to Starswars so Millennium makes sense and Phoenix could be a nod to Startrek.

I think a funny joke name would be the Penguin since the ship part kinda looks like one though a good non joke name while still staying in the bird theme maybe Hawk,or Eagle.

CraigLieb · « **Reply #33 on:** 10/05/2017 04:20 pm »

Given that Greek Gods were invoked with the Apollo program naming,
might it be appropriate to allocate another, possibly appropriate Greek God for this program.
I suggest Mars.

envy887 · « **Reply #34 on:** 10/05/2017 04:28 pm »

Quote from: CraigLieb on 10/05/2017 04:20 pm

Given that Greek Gods were invoked with the Apollo program naming,
might it be appropriate to allocate another, possibly appropriate Greek God for this program.
I suggest Mars.

The Mars rocket.

I find this to be the perfect name. SpaceX already reportedly uses "the Mars vehicle" or just "Mars" internally, I think it would be a great official name.

GreenShrike · « **Reply #35 on:** 10/05/2017 05:08 pm »

"Mars" is a bucketload of confusion waiting to happen. Now "Ares" I could see, except... well...

I'd stick with the raptor-based naming scheme; from what I've read, the some of the biggest raptors are condors, and the biggest falcon is a gyrfalcon.

Eagle is sadly common in naming, but hawk less so. I'm fond of goshawk, and fonder of sparrowhawk, though apparently sparrowhawks are on the small side for hawks.

Sparrowhawk, of course, leads to Earthsea, and thence to, I think, one of the most appropriate names to capture Musk's vision: Sparrowhawk's boat, the Look Far -- but that's more a ship name than a class name.

I wonder if Elon's read any Le Guin?

bob the martian · « **Reply #36 on:** 10/05/2017 05:18 pm »

Planet Express Ship.

kaoru · « **Reply #37 on:** 10/05/2017 05:19 pm »

Mars is the Roman name for Ares, God of war. However, Ares had several divine offspring:

DEIMOS (God of fear) and PHOBOS (God of panic) are Mars' moons...
NIKE (Goddess of victory) is obviously taken...

That leaves:

ANTEROS (God of unreciprocated love).
ENYALIOS (God of war) is just confusing.
EROS (God of love) doesn't send the right message.
HARMONIA (Goddess of harmony).

ANTEROS is the only name that fits... since a lot of people have a love/hate relationship with the BFR.

envy887 · « **Reply #38 on:** 10/05/2017 05:24 pm »

Quote from: GreenShrike on 10/05/2017 05:08 pm

"Mars" is a bucketload of confusion waiting to happen. Now "Ares" I could see, except... well...
...

Ares is right out. What's confusing about Mars? Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune are all rocket names that nobody seems particularly confused by.

TaurusLittrow · « **Reply #39 on:** 10/05/2017 06:20 pm »

I'm on the side of the stuffed shirts on this one. Something that reeks with dignity and solemnity.

The Olympian god names have been done to a fare-thee-well so I suggest mining the names of their predecessors, the Titans.

For instance, Kronos ("Elon time" tie-in, but a checkered family history) or Prometheus (carried the gift of fire to mortals and also, I believe, was the name of the rocket in an Arthur C. Clark short story) or Zeus (the biggest baddest one of them all).

I also like Talos, just because of the Star Trek TOS pedigree.