AFB |
Air Force Base |
AMSAT |
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation |
AOS |
Acquisition of Signal, Appear on Sky |
ARISS |
Amateur Radio on The International Space Station |
ARRL |
American Radio Relay League |
ASL |
Above Sea Level |
AU |
Astronomical Unit (1 AU = 149 597 871 km) |
COBE |
Cosmic Background Explorer - US satellite for cosmic microwave background research |
COSPAR |
The Comittee on Space Research |
CSA |
Canadian Space Agency |
Decimal degrees |
Degrees and its parts - angle notation (10.5036°) |
DMS |
Degrees, Minutes, Seconds - angle notation (10°30'13") |
DST |
Daylight Saving Time |
EAFB |
Edwards Air Force Base |
ECI |
Earth Centered Inertial - coordinate system used for position and velocity vectors of satellite |
EROS |
Earth Resources Observation System |
ESA |
European Space Agency |
ETA |
Estimated Time of Arrival |
ET |
External Tank |
EVA |
Extravehicular Activities |
GEO |
Geosynchronous Earth Orbit |
GIS |
Geographic Information System |
GLONASS |
Global Navigation System - Russian GPS equivalent |
GOES |
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite |
GTO |
Geostationary Transfer Orbit |
GMT |
Greenwich Meridian Time, see also UTC |
GMST |
Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time |
GPS |
Global Positioning System |
GSO |
Geostationary Orbit |
GST |
Greenwich Sideral Time |
HEO |
High Earth Orbit |
HETE |
High-Energy Transient Experiment |
HMS |
Hours, Minutes, Seconds - angle notation used for RA output (10h 12m 13s) |
HST |
Hubble Space Telescope (NORAD# 20580) |
IARU |
International Amateur Radio Union |
IAU |
International Astronomical Union |
IAU 76 |
International Astronomical Union (System of Astronomical Constants - 1976) |
INPE |
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (National Space Research Institute, Brazil) |
ISS |
International Space Station (NORAD# 25544) |
JAXA |
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
JD |
Julian Date (date as day number and time as fraction of day, e.g. 2453318.28080) |
JSC |
Johnson Space Center |
KSC |
Kennedy Space Center |
LCL, LT |
Local Time |
LEO |
Low Earth Orbit |
LOS |
Loss of Signal |
LST |
Local Sideral Time |
LMLV |
Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle |
LMST |
Local Mean Sidereal Time |
MCC |
Mission Control Center |
MECO |
Main Engine Cutoff |
MEO |
Mid Earth Orbit, semi-synchronous orbit |
MET |
Maximum Elevation Time (middle of pass); Mission Elapsed Time |
MPLM |
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module |
NASA |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NASDA |
National Space Development Agency (Japan's organization for commercial launches) |
NAVSTAR |
Navigation System with Time And Range (original name for GPS) |
NMEA |
National Marine Electronics Association |
NOAA |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NOSS |
Naval Ocean Surveillance System |
NORAD |
North American Air Defense |
NSSC |
NORAD Space Surveillance Center |
PAM |
Payload Assist Module |
OMS |
Orbital Maneuvering System |
QTH |
Location of ground station in amateur radio jargon |
RA |
Right Ascension |
RAAN |
Right Ascension of the Ascending Node |
RCS |
Radar Cross Section |
R/B |
Rocket body |
SatCat |
Satellite Catalog |
SDP4 |
Simplified Deep-space Perturbations - prediction model using for satellites with period greater than 225 minutes |
SGP4 |
Simplified General Perturbations - prediction model using for satellites with period less than 225 minutes |
SMA |
Semi-Major Axis - half of the longest linear dimension of ellipse |
SOCRATES |
Satellite Orbital Conjunction Reports Assessing Threatening Encounters in Space |
SOHO |
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory |
SRB |
Solid Rocket Boosters |
SSME |
Space Shuttle Main Engines |
STS |
Space Transport System - American space Shuttle program |
TCA |
Time of Closest Approach |
TDRSS |
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System |
TLE |
Two Line Element - format for storage satellite orbit data necessary for SGP/SDP prediction |
USSPACECOM |
United States Space Command |
UTC, UT |
Coordinated Universal Time, mean solar time of Greenwich meridian |
WGS 84 |
World Geodetic System 1984 |
ZOE |
Zone of Exclusion |