| Acronym | Meaning |
| NPOESS | National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System |
| ESE | Earth Science Enterprise (NASA) |
| GEOSAT | GEOdetic SATellite |
| ESSP | Earth System Science Pathfinder Mission (ESSP) |
| PIFTS | Planetary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer |
| KM | Kilometer |
| K | Kilo |
| TMR | TOPEX Microwave Radiometer (EOS) |
| C | Centigrade |
| HIRDLS | HIgh-Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (EOS) |