| Acronym | Meaning |
| MMS | Multi-mission Modular Spacecraft |
| STARCAL | Star Calibration |
| NICMOS | Near Infrared Camera/Multi Object Spectrometer |
| RAS | Royal Astronomical Society |
| CG | Center Of Gravity |
| VLT | Very Large Telescope |
| SDI | Strategic Defense Initiative |
| DCX | Delta Clipper EXperimental |
| IGBP | International Geosphere/Biosphere Programme |
| AMSR | Advanced Microwave Sounding Radiometer |