| Acronym | Meaning |
| ARC | Ames Research Center (NASA) |
| DLR | Deutsche Forschungsanstalt Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt |
| STS | Shuttle Transport System / Space Transportation System |
| SAIL | Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory |
| AMSR | Advanced Microwave Sounding Radiometer |
| ACR | Active Cavity Radiometer |
| CFA | Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics |
| ESRO | European Space Research Organisation |
| RGB | Red Giant Branch |
| AFRSI | Advanced FRSI |