| Acronym | Meaning |
| MSG | Meteosat Second Generation |
| H2O | Water (vapor) |
| DCS | Data Collection System (NOAA Polar Orbiting Satellites) |
| AVHRR | Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer |
| GIFTS | Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer |
| SAFIRE | Spectroscopy Of The Atmosphere Using Far InfraRed Emission |
| COMSAT | COMmunications SATellite |
| WINCE | WINter Cloud Experiment |
| ESSP | Earth System Science Pathfinder Mission (ESSP) |
| WSGC | Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium |