| Acronym | Meaning |
| TPS | Thermal Protection System |
| AGB | Asymptotic Giant Branch |
| ASA | Astronomical Society Of The Atlantic |
| CBR | Cosmic Background Radiation |
| SOB | Strap-On Booster |
| ESRO | European Space Research Organisation |
| SSBUV | Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Experiment |
| HTVL | Horizontal Takeoff Vertical Landing |
| MSU | Microwave Sounding Unit |
| IPMP | Investigations Into Polymer Membrane Processing |