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From: mark@typhoon.ucar.edu (Mark Bradford)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: List of Frequently-Seen Acronyms (second posting) (LONG)
Keywords: acronyms list
Message-ID: <mark.668826800@typhoon.ucar.edu>
Date: 13 Mar 91 01:13:20 GMT
Sender: news@ncar.ucar.edu
Reply-To: bradfrd2@ncar.ucar.edu (Mark Bradford)
Organization: STORM Project Office, NCAR, Boulder
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Acronym List for sci.astro, sci.space, and sci.space.shuttle:
Version 2.0, 12 Mar 1991

This list is offered as a reference for translating commonly appearing
acronyms in the space-related newsgroups.  If I forgot or botched your
favorite acronym, please let me know!  Also, if there's an acronym not
on this list that confuses you, drop me a line, and if I can figure
it out I'll add it to the list.

The list will be posted at random intervals, more or less monthly.  All
comments regarding it are welcome; I'm reachable as bradfrd2@ncar.ucar.edu.

Note that this just tells what the acronyms stand for -- you're on your
own for figuring out what they >mean<!

Thanks to everybody who's sent suggestions since the first version of
the list, and especially Michael Patton for sending me a Vast Quantity
of acronyms!

PS: (1991 Mar 12)  Garrett A. Wollman (wollman@griffin.uvm.edu) is also
maintaining a list, somewhat more verbose in character than mine.  I post
this updated version of mine to give him a run for his money.  :-)

AAS: American Astronomical Society
AGN: Active Galactic Nucleus
ALS: Advanced Launch System
ANSI: American National Standards Institute
AOA: Abort Once Around (Shuttle abort plan)
APU: Auxiliary Power Unit
ARC: Ames Research Center (NASA)
ATO: Abort To Orbit (Shuttle abort plan)
AU: Astronomical Unit
AW&ST: Aviation Week and Space Technology (a.k.a. AvLeak)
AXAF: Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility
BBXRT: Broad-Band X-Ray Telescope
BH: Black Hole
BTW: By The Way
CCD: Charge-Coupled Device
CD-ROM: Compact Disk Read-Only Memory
CFHT: Canda-France-Hawaii Telescope
CIT: Circumstellar Imaging Telescope
COBE: COsmic Background Explorer
CRAF: Comet Rendezvous / Asteroid Flyby
CRRES: Combined Release / Radiation Effects Satellite
CSM: Command and Service Module (Apollo spacecraft)
DOD: Department Of Defense (sometimes DoD)
DOE: Department Of Energy
DOT: Department of Transportation
EDO: Extended Duration Orbiter
ELV: Expendable Launch Vehicle
EMU: Extravehicular Mobility Unit
EOS: Earth Observing System
ESA: European Space Agency
ET: (Shuttle) External Tank
EUV: Extreme UltraViolet
EUVE: Extreme UltraViolet Explorer
EVA: ExtraVehicular Activity
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
FGS: Fine Guidance Sensors (on HST)
FIR: Far InfraRed
FITS: Flexible Image Transport System
FOC: Faint Object Camera (on HST)
FOS: Faint Object Spectrograph (on HST)
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
FTS: Flight Telerobotic Servicer
FUSE: Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
FYI: For Your Information
GAS: Get-Away Special
GBT: Green Bank Telescope
GEO: Geosynchronous Earth Orbit
GHRS: Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (on HST)
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format
GMRT: Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time (also called UT)
GOES: Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite
GRO: Gamma Ray Observatory
GSC: Guide Star Catalog (for HST)
GSFC: Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA)
HF: High Frequency
HR: Hertzsprung-Russell (diagram)
HD: Henry Draper catalog entry
HLC: Heavy Lift Capability
HLV: Heavy Lift Vehicle
HSP: High Speed Photometer (on HST)
HST: Hubble Space Telescope
IAU: International Astronomical Union
IDA: International Dark-sky Association
IDL: Interactive Data Language
IGM: InterGalactic Medium
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
IR: InfraRed
IRAF: Image Reduction and Analysis Facility
IRAS: InfraRed Astronomical Satellite
ISO: Infrared Space Observatory (or) International Standards Organization
ISPM: International Solar Polar Mission (now Ulysses)
ISM: InterStellar Medium
IUE: International Ultraviolet Explorer
IUS: Inertial Upper Stage
JILA: Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
JPL: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
JSC: Johnson Space Center (NASA)
KPNO: Kitt Peak National Observatory
KSC: Kennedy Space Center (NASA)
LANL: Los Alamos National Laboratories
LaRC: Langley Research Center (NASA)
LDEF: Long Duration Exposure Facility
LEM: Lunar Excursion Module (a.k.a. LM) (Apollo spacecraft)
LEO: Low Earth Orbit
LeRC: Lewis Research Center (NASA)
LLNL: Lawrence-Livermore National Laboratories
LM: Lunar Module (a.k.a. LEM) (Apollo spacecraft)
LOX: Liquid OXygen
LN2: Liquid N2 (Nitrogen)
LRB: Liquid Rocket Booster
MECO: Main Engine CutOff
MMT: Multiple Mirror Telescope
MMU: Manned Maneuvering Unit
MOL: Manned Orbiting Laboratory
MOMV: Manned Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle
MOTV: Manned Orbital Transfer Vehicle
MSFC: (George C.) Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA)
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASDA: NAtional Space Development Agency (Japan)
NASP: National AeroSpace Plane
NBS: National Bureau of Standards (now NIST)
NGC: New General Catalog
NICMOS: Near Infrared Camera / Multi Object Spectrometer (HST upgrade)
NIR: Near InfraRed
NIST: National Institute for Standards and Technology (was NBS)
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAO: National Optical Astronomical Observatories
NRAO: National Radio Astronomical Observatory
NS: Neutron Star
NSF: National Science Foundation
NTT: New Technology Telescope
OCST: Office of Commercial Space Transportation
OMB: Office of Management and Budget
OMS: Orbital Maneuvering System
OPF: Orbiter Processing Facility
OSC: Orbital Sciences Corporation
OTA: Optical Telescope Assembly (on HST)
OTV: Orbital Transfer Vehicle
OV: Orbital Vehicle
PAM: Payload Assist Module
RF: Radio Frequency
RFI: Radio Frequency Interference
RMS: Remote Manipulator System
RNGC: Revised New General Catalog
ROSAT: ROentgen SATellite
RTLS: Return To Launch Site (Shuttle abort plan)
SAA: South Atlantic Anomaly
SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative
SEI: Space Exploration Initiative
SETI: Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence
SID: Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance
SIRTF: Space InfraRed Telescope Facility
SLC: Space Launch Complex
SLS: Space Life Sciences
SME: Solar Mesosphere Explorer
SMM: Solar Maximum Mission
SN: SuperNova (e.g., SN1987A)
SNR: Signal to Noise Ratio (or) SuperNova Remnant
SPAN: Space Physics and Analysis Network
SPS: Solar Power Satellite
SRB: Solid Rocket Booster
SRM: Solid Rocket Motor
SSF: Space Station Fred (er, Freedom)
SSI: Space Studies Institute
SSME: Space Shuttle Main Engine
SSPF: Space Station Processing Facility
SST: Spectroscopic Survey Telescope (or) SuperSonic Transport
STIS: Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (to replace FOC and GHRS)
STS: Shuttle Transport System (or) Space Transportation System
STScI: Space Telescope Science Institute
SWF: ShortWave Fading
TAU: Thousand Astronomical Unit (mission)
TDRS: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
TDRSS: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
TLA: Three Letter Acronym
TOMS: Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
TSS: Tethered Satellite System
UARS: Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
UGC: Uppsala General Catalog
UHF: Ultra High Frequency
USAF: United States Air Force
UT: Universal Time (a.k.a. GMT, UTC, or Zulu Time)
UTC: Coordinated Universal Time (a.k.a. UT)
UV: UltraViolet
VAB: Vehicle Assembly Building (formerly Vertical Assembly Building)
VAFB: Vandenberg Air Force Base
VEEGA: Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist (Galileo flight path)
VHF: Very High Frequency
VLA: Very Large Array
VLBA: Very Long Baseline Array
VLBI: Very Long Baseline Interferometry
VLT: Very Large Telescope
VMS: Vertical Motion Simulator
VOIR: Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (superseded by VRM)
VRM: Venus Radar Mapper (now called Magellan)
WD: White Dwarf
WFPC: Wide Field / Planetary Camera (on HST)
WFPCII: Replacement for WF/PC
WIYN: Wisconsin / Indiana / Yale / NOAO telescope
WSMR: White Sands Missile Range

-- Mark Bradford (bradfrd2@ncar.ucar.edu) <> To err is human, to moo bovine.
                       "Life's a thin and flakey crust."