| Acronym | Meaning |
| SPAS | Space Pallet Satellite |
| NIMS | Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer |
| CMCC | Central Mission Control Centre |
| TIG | Time Of (until) Ignition |
| IDL | Interactive Data Language |
| ESA | European Space Agency |
| APL | Applied Physics Laboratory (at Johns Hopkins) |
| RESTEC | Remote Sensing Technology Center |
| NASP | National AeroSpace Plane |
| CRRES | Combined Release/Radiation Effects Satellite |