Beechcraft Twin Turboprop or Jet Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Engineer
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 95; Flight Crew Total 3800; Flight Crew Type 200
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
We took off and contacted Departure control.  Right away we got a clearance that said: Cleared Direct ROKIT.  Our flight plan was filed via the ROKIT 1 arrival into HOU; so when the controller said cleared  direct ROKIT; both the Captain and I without any doubt thought it was direct to ROKIT intersection that is in the beginning of the ROKIT 1 arrival.  We fly this arrival every week; and very often get clearance direct ROKIT.  About 30 minutes later;  a Controller at Atlanta Center asked if we were going direct to ROKIT; we said yes; then he said it doesn't look like it.  I replied that we were going direct to ROKIT; a straight line; and that we appeared to be 495 miles from it.  I spelled out R O K I T.  The Controller came back and said; that the [previous] Controller must had meant ROKIT which is RQZ VOR; and that apparently was located on the Q route.  The Controller now asked us to go to AEX for the ROKIT 1 arrival; AEX is just one fix before ROKIT.
Turboprop First Officer reports being cleared direct ROKIT waypoint shortly after takeoff and proceeding direct.  Some time later ATC questions the heading and it is discovered that the previous Controller had meant direct Rocket VOR (RQZ).