| Acronym | Meaning |
| SPARTAN | Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool For Astronomy |
| BAE | British Aerospace |
| DMSP | Defense Meteorological Satellite Program |
| OCTS | Ocean Color And Temperature Scanner |
| VICAR | Graphics Format Used By JPL |
| CFPA | Center For Particle Astrophysics (Berkeley) |
| NLDP | National Launch Development Program |
| AIPS | Astronomical Image Processing System |
| VAS | VISSR Atmospheric Sounder |
| NRO | National Reconnaissance Office |