| Acronym | Meaning |
| AIAA | American Institute Of Aeronautics And Astronautics |
| MSU | Microwave Sounding Unit |
| PPF | Columbus Polar Platform |
| SMS | Shuttle Mission Simulator |
| SLAP | Space Link Access Protocol |
| AACS | Attitude And Articulation Control Subsystem |
| LLNL | Lawrence-Livermore National Laboratory |
| MACHO | MAssive Compact Halo Object |
| ISY | International Space Year |
| ETM | Enhanced Thematic Mapper |