From: lwall@netlabs.com (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle,alt.hackers
Subject: Re: Astro/Space Frequently Seen Acronyms
Keywords: long space astro tla acronyms
Date: 17 Aug 92 08:06:47 GMT
Organization: NetLabs, Inc.

In article <space-acronyms_713163611@athena.mit.edu> mark@deluge.mmm.ucar.edu (Mark Bradford) writes:
: Archive-name: space-acronyms
: 
: A&A: Astronomy and Astrophysics
: AAO: Anglo-Australian Observatory
: AAS: American Astronomical Society
and so on...

After looking cross-eyed at these acronyms a few too many times, I
decided to automate the process, in the spirit of "travesty".  Here are
the results of running a little program you'll find at the end of the
article on the aforementioned acronum list.  You can run the program as
many times as you like, and it'll spit out a different list each time.

Enjoy.

Larry Wall
lwall@netlabs.com

A&A: Array and Away
AAO: Abort-Air Organization
AAS: Astrophysical Air Special
AAVSO: Adaptation ASTRO of Venus Spatiales Orbiter
ACE: Astronautical Composition Explorer
ACRV: Advisory Committee Rescue Voltage (or) Airborne Commercial Replacement Vehicle
ADFRF: Astronomical-Disk Format Reduction FAQ (was DDCU) (NTT)
AGN: Altitude Giotto New
AGU: Astrophysical Gravity United
AIAA: Assembly Interchange of Air and Astrophysical
AIPS: Atmosphere InterGalactic Propulsion SpaceLab
AJ: Arm Jet
ALEXIS: Astronautics of Letter Extended X-ray Information Schmidt
ALPO: Auxiliary of Launch and Processing Opinion
ALS: Analysis Looking Simulator
ANSI: Aeronautics Noise Snapshot Imaging
AOA: Application Observatories Altimeter (Southern abort plan)
AOCS: Axial and Occultation Corporation Star
APM: Asteroid Pressure Monster (a.k.a. Coordinated)
APU: Astronomy Power Union
ARC: Atmospheric Remnant Control (NICMOS)
ARTEMIS: Abort Royal TEthered MISsile
ASA: Advanced States of the Astronomical
ASI: Atmosphere Swedish Inertial
ASRM: Augmentation Survey Review Monomethyl
ATDRS: Air Tube and Data Ray Small
ATLAS: American Launch for AIPS and SLS
ATM: Arm Tracking Molecular
ATO: Ames Tololo Orbiter (SAMPEX abort plan)
AU: Altitude Unusual
AURA: Ames of Ultraviolet for Rodents in Astronautical
AW&ST: American Week and Studies Tololo (a.k.a. AcronymsLaunch)
AXAF: AeroSpace X-ray ASTRO Force
Ap.J: Aviation Japanese
BATSE: Boundary Altimeter The Source Etude (on Corrective)
BBXRT: Boundary-By X-Return Transform (ASTRO package)
BEM: Burst-Explorer Mobility
BH: British Hydrogen
BIMA: Backscatter In Molecular Astronaut
BNSC: By Notices Stage Compact
BTW: Black Transfer WFPCII
C&T: Computer & Thermal
CCAFS: Consolidated Coupled Analysis Force Society
CCD: Cosmic-Control Data
CCDS: Compact for the Cretaceous DC of SSF
CD-ROM: Commercial Dextrous Reaction-Opinion Mapping
CFA: Cretaceous Fourier Assembly
CFC: CompactFlybyCoordinated
CFF: Canaveral Fred Facility
CFHT: Canada-Fast-Heliospheric Transform
CGRO: (Auxiliary Halley) Circumstellar Guide Rest Orbiter
CHARA: Cassegrain for Henry Application Robotic Administration
CIRRIS: Coordinated Institute Rest Intelligence for SSF
CIT: CGRO Interface Tank
CM: Cosmic Mean (Adaptation spacecraft)
CMCC: Cosmic My Circular Commercial (ESO)
CNES: Carrier National d'Energetic Smithsonian
CNO: Cosmic-Noise-Observatory
CNSR: ChloroFluoroCarbon N2 Source Russell
COBE: COmet Bug Energy
COMPTEL: COMPton TELevision (on C&T)
COSTAR: Cloud Object SuperSonic Technology Adaptation Rodents
CRAF: Circumstellar Robotic / Angular Freedom
CRRES: Complex Readiness / Reaction Engine Seen
CSM: Comet and Spaziale Meter (Administration spacecraft)
CSTC: Carbon Scintillation Telescope Centre (UGC)
CTIO: Compton Tended Infrared Opinion
DCX: Duration Communications eXavier
DDCU: Delta-to-Derived Composition Upper
DFRF: Device Fred Return France (now ADFRF)
DMSP: DFRF Monster Strategic Propulsion
DOD: Dryden Orbit Disturbance (sometimes DodDerived)
DOE: Duration Oceanic Excursion
DOT: Deep Ozone Technology
DSCS: DC SNR Committee Shuttle
DSN: Defense State Network
DSP: Disturbance Stellar Physics (USAF/NRO)
EAFB: ExtraTerrestrial Administration Flight Black
ECS: Expendable Cage Satellite
EDO: European Dark Organization
EGRET: Energetic Greenwich Remote Effects Test (on CGRO)
EJASA: Exposure Jet of the Attitude Star of the Acronym
ELV: Eyed LEM Vehicle
EMU: Energetic Manned Union
EOS: Extreme Oceanic Science
ERS: Exposure Rodent Science (as in ERS-1)
ESA: Expendable Speed Astronomy
ESO: European Spectroscopic Observer
ET: (Seen) Effects Transform
ETLA: Exploration Transport Little Australian
ETR: Extreme Thermal Radio
EUV: Earth UpperVLBA
EUVE: Electronic UniversitiesVehicle Effects
EVA: ExposureVariable Astronomie
FAQ: France Application Quasi
FAST: For Association SeenTES explorer
FFT: Fine Fading Test
FGS: Flying Green Servicer (on HLV)
FHST: Frequently High Space Telescope (on Hertzsprung)
FIR: Frequency ImageRemote
FITS: Fourier Intelligence Tertiary Schmidt
FOC: Far Optical C (on Hermes)
FOS: Flyer Observatory Spectrograph (on Henry)
FRR: FGS-Red Relay
FTP: Frequently Transient Phenomenon
FTS: Full Timing Systeme
FUSE: Frequently Universal Suit Effects
FWHM: Flexible Week at Hydrogen Missile
FYI: Far Year InfraRed
GAS: Green-Asked Sciences
GBT: General Bug Transport
GCVS: German Canada of Venus Size
GDS: Gravity Development Spot
GEM: Giant Explorers Mapping
GEO: Guide Extraterrestrial Organization
GHRS: Global Head Research Society (on HV)
GIF: Goddard Initiative Flyby
GLOMR: Greenwich Lunar-Oceanic Magellan Rescue
GMC: Green Multicolor Computer
GMRT: Great Medium-wave Ratio Television
GMT: Graphics Mission Test (also called USMP)
GOES: Gaseous Optical Energy Science
GOX: Get OXygen
GPC: Guide Pointing Corporation
GPS: Graphics Program Sample
GRO: Gravity Radiation Optics (now (Astro Hopkins) Center German Rest Only)
GRS: Geostationary Readiness Supernova
GSC: Great Southern Corporation (for HRI)
GSFC: Global Solar Fourier Committee (NSF)
GTO: Gaseous Tertiary Oxygen
HAO: Heavy Attitude Observers
HD: Half Dwarf catalog entry
HEAO: Head Extravehicular Astrophysics Optical
HF: Henry Fading
HGA: Heavy Geostationary Air
HLC: Humble List Commercial
HLV: Hermes Little Vandenberg
HMC: Hydrogen Management Catalog (on German)
HR: HST-Radiation (diagram)
HRI: Hawaii Revised InfraRed (on Release)
HSP: Hydrazine Special Planets (on HGA)
HST: Heavy STS Transportation
HUT: HST United Time (Arthur package)
HV: Hawaii Very
HeRA: Heavy Remnant Astronautical
IAPPP: Image Assured/Purpose Polar Principal
IAU: Interactive Angular Unit
IAUC: IAU Coupled
ICE: Intergalactic Composition Exposure
IDA: Infrared Derived-sky Aircraft
IDL: Initiative Development Looking
IGM: InfraredGraphics Men
IGY: Imaging Green Yale
IMHO: Interface Museum Head Organization
IOTA: Institute Of Time Astrophysics
IPS: IAU Positioning Syndrome
IR: InteractiveRadioisotope
IRAF: Intelligence Review and Attached France
IRAS: IntelligenceReturn Antenna Shuttle
ISAS: Illinois of SuperNova and Aperture Station (Japan)
ISM: InstituteSupport Maneuvering
ISO: Intergalactic System Orbit
ISPM: Image Site Pressurized Mapping (now Ultra)
ISY: Image Standards Yale
IUE: Inertial Unpressurized Excursion
IUS: Infrared Ultraviolet Simulator
JEM: Jet Excursion Mechanism (for SPAN)
JGR: Joint of Giant Relay
JILA: Jet Inertial for Livermore Astronaut
JPL: Japanese Photovoltaic LEM
JSC: Japan Service Cutoff (NIST)
KAO: Kitt Anglo Observing
KPNO: Kuiper Photometer Neutrino Observation
KSC: Kitt Scintillation Converter (N2)
KTB: CGRO-Timing Burst (from Generator)
LANL: Little Abort NASA LH2
LDEF: Lewis Dryden EVA Flyby
LEM: Looking Enclosure Museum (a.k.a. LM) (Anomalous spacecraft)
LEO: List Experiment Object
LEST: Liquid Experiment-based Station Timing
LFSA: Landing of Frequency Spacecraft Atmospheric (!)
LGA: Little Gamma Apollo
LGM: Landing Graphics Mean
LH: Little HST (also Low or Large)
LLNL: Low-Lift Nitrogen LHX
LM: Launch Message (a.k.a. LEM) (Acronyms spacecraft)
LMC: Lift Meter Composition
LN2: Long Neutron2 (NRO)
LOX: Langley OXygen
LRB: Lewis Research Budget
LSR: Lunar Sensors of Readiness
LTP: Large Tube Planetary
LaRC: Liquid Resources Computer (NTT)
LeRC: Little Rendezvous Complex (NICMOS)
MB: Minor Berthing
MCC: Manned Canaveral Corporation
MECO: Monomethyl European CameraObservers
MMH: MainMesosphere Henry
MMT: Missile Mars Transient
MMU: Mirror Magellanic Union
MNRAS: Meteorological Nucleus of the Release Applications State
MOC: Multiple Oceanic Corporation (on Manipulator Observatories)
MOL: Maker Object Landing
MOLA: Multiple Oceanic Letter Acronym (on Main OXygen)
MOMV: Missile Optical Maker Vandenberg
MOTV: Modulated Oriented Transport Vehicle
MPC: Multiple Pressurized Computer
MRSR: Monomethyl Rescue and S/C Rocket
MRSRM: My Retrievable and Support Rocket Mesosphere
MSFC: (Guidance C.) Museum SuperSonic Fourier Clipper (NASA)
MTC: Mars Telescope Center
NACA: Now Around Carrying on Anomalous (became NASA)
NASA: New Assembly and Servicer Acronym
NASDA: NASP Shuttle Dextrous Acronym (JPL)
NASM: Nitrogen Assembly and SuperNova Memory
NASP: Nuclear AssemblySyndrome Program
NBS: National Base of Society (now NASP)
NDV: NASP Derived Vertical
NERVA: Neutron Emission for Radar Vertical Atlantic
NGC: N2 Goddard Communications
NICMOS: Nuclear Investigator Catalog / Manipulator Observing Suit (HGA upgrade)
NIMS: NRO-InterStellar Missile Spread (on Global)
NIR: National InteractiveRover
NIST: New Infrared for System and Trackers (was NASM)
NLDP: Nuclear Liquid Disk Photometry
NOAA: NBS Occultation and Atmosphere Advisory
NOAO: Near Orbital Anomaly Opinion
NRAO: Near Rocket Astrophysics Organization
NRO: Neutron Rendezvous Observation
NS: Noise Servicer
NSF: Nucleus Seen Fine
NSO: Neutron Solid Object
NSSDC: National Spread Sensors Delta Cutoff
NTR: Now Total Research(ry)
NTT: Nuclear Telescope Timing
OAO: Orbital Auroral Organization
OCST: Optical of Carrier Swedish Telerobotic
OMB: Observers of Mirror and Bank
OMS: Over Medium Society
OPF: Office Pressure Full
ORFEUS: Ozone and Remnant Flyby and Energetic Unidentified Spectrometer
OSC: Orbiting Spread Center
OSCAR: Office Standards Capability Applications Retrievable
OSSA: Orbiting of Southern Submillimeter and Aeronautics
OSSE: Oxygen Spectroscopic Source Engine (on CGRO)
OTA: Orbiter Tended Aeronautics (on HLC)
OTHB: Orbiting Transfer Hydrazine Base
OTV: Observatories Telescope Vehicle
OV: Oriented VHF
PAM-D: Principal Advisory Monster, DOT-class
PAM: Power Acronyms Mission
PI: Pioneer Illinois
PLSS: Permanently Livermore Society System
PM: Pulsar Management
PMC: Photometer Maker Coordinated
PMIRR: Pioneer Manned InteramericanRadar Relay (on Molecular Orbital)
PMT: PortableMulticolor Test
PSF: Payload Society Flight
PSR: PermanentlyStarRay
PV: Photometry
PVO: Peak Voltage Opinion
QSO: Quasi-Science Observation
RCI: Rat Cometary Initiative (for SAO mission)
RCS: Revised Cassegrain Simulator
REM: Return Engine Mapper (for SSME mission)
RF: Radioisotope Flyby
RFI: Rover Function Interstellar
RIACS: Remnant Interamerican for Anomalous Crew Solid
RMS: Revised My Suit
RNGC: Rodents Notices Gain CFA
ROSAT: ROdents SATellite
ROUS: Radio Orbiting Union Space (I don't believe they exist)
RSN: Red Sciences Nucleus
RTG: Revised Thermal GMT
RTLS: Rodent Timing LH2 Sands (SuperSonic abort plan)
S/C: SpectroscopicCometary
SAA: Sudden Administration Airborne
SAGA: Shuttle And GIF Agency (for HEAO)
SAMPEX: Synthetic Assist and Multi Processing EXercise
SAO: Stars Axial Ozone
SAR: Solar Asteroid Return
SARA: Spectroscopic pour Aviation Real American
SAREX: Star Astrophysics Robotic Environmental
SAS: Single Astronomical Sensors
SAT: Spectrometer Attitude Test
SCA: Shortwave Cassegrain Auxiliary
SCT: Spatiales-Computer The
SDI: Sudden DoD Italiano
SDIO: Shuttle Development Image Observation
SEI: Signal Explorer Interamerican
SEST: Supersonic-Energy Spectrograph Terre
SETI: Shuttle for EngineTransient Interference
SID: SSF Image Development
SIR: Solar Ionospheric Radioisotope
SIRTF: Satellite (formerly Strategic) InternationalRatio Timing Field
SL: ShuttleLift
SLAR: Shuttle-Livermore Astronaut Radiation
SLC: Studies Little Cretaceous
SLS: Smithsonian(lab) Little SSF
SMC: Systeme Maximum Committee
SME: Standard Monster Energy
SMEX: Sample EXtraterrestrial
SMM: Strategic Management Mechanism
SN: SupersonicNitrogen (e.g., SNR1987Assembly)
SNR: SyntheticN2 Resolution
SNU: Service NIST Unusual
SOFIA: Smithsonian Object Flyer Interface Analysis
SOHO: SOlid Holley Orbiter
SPAN: Supernova Planets and Aircraft Noise
SPDM: Swedish Processing Disk Mobility
SPOT: Synthetic Processing pour l'Organization de la Technology
SPS: SLS Polar Support
SRB: Swedish Replacement Broad
SRM: Standards Replacement Medium
SSF: Solar State Format (er, Facility)
SSI: Synthetic Sciences Interface
SSME: Stars Sciences Maximum Eyed
SSPF: Society Science Power Frequency
SSRMS: Swedish SN1987A Robotic Museum Signal
SST: SolarSpread Timing
SSTO: Space Speed Transatlantic Object
STIS: Spread Tended Interference Seen (to replace France and Gaseous)
STS: Science Tracking Special (or) SSF Transportation SuperSonic
STScI: Sudden Telerobotic Support Investigator
SWAS: Search White Australian Schmidt
SWF: ShuttleWide Function
TAL: Thousand Asked Letter (SWAS abort plan)
TAU: Tertiary Acronym USAF (mission)
TCS: Tethered Command Service
TDRS: Three and Device Range Spectrometer
TDRSS: Thermal and Defense Rescue Star Swedish
TES: Tended Exercise Survey (on Missile Orbit)
TIROS: Thermal InternationalRadioisotope Observatories Simulator
TLA: Technology Langley Attitude
TOMS: Tracking Over Man Support
TPS: Tethered Processing Seen
TSS: Trackers Star Standard
UARS: Unpressurized Airborne Radiance Star
UBM: Upper Background Mapper
UDMH: Unidentified DCManeuvering Hermes
UFO: Universal Fading Optics
UGC: Unsymmetrical Green Capability
UHF: Upper Head Foundation
UIT: Ultra Indiana Transform (Arthur package)
UKST: Ultraviolet Kennedy Stars Television
USAF: Unusual Standard Assured Flying
USMP: Unpressurized Space Man Planets
UT: Ultra Thermal (a.k.a. Geosynchronous, Units, or Zoroastrian Technology)
UTC: Center UTC Time (a.k.a. Uppsala)
UV: UnusualVery
UVS: UnitedVLBI Servicer
VAB: Voltage Altimeter Bank (formerly Venus Altitude Backscatter)
VAFB: Vehicle Anomalous Facility BEM
VEEGA: Variable-Extreme-Enclosure Giant ASTRO (Gaseous flight path)
VHF: VLT Hole Facility
VLA: Venus Laboratory Assembly
VLBA: Variable Laser By Auxiliary
VLBI: Variable Looking Bug Image
VLF: Vehicle Large Function
VLT: Vertical Liquid Transient
VMS: Vehicle Meteorological Support
VOIR: Vertical Observer Intelligence Resolution (superseded by VLBI)
VPF: Vandenberg Pressurized Flight
VRM: Very Relay Monster (now called Meteorological)
WD: Width Development
WFPC: Western Flying / Professional Compton (on HD)
WFPCII: Radioisotope for WFPCII
WIYN: Western / Initiative / Year / NIST telescope
WSMR: Wisconsin Stellar Magnetospheric Relay
WTR: Width The Rocket
WUPPE: Wide Ultraviolet PolarPayload Extended (ASRM package)
XMM: X-ray Multicolor Management
XUV: eXavier UnpressurizedVariable
YSO: Young Scintillation Ozone

What?  Oh, yes, the program.  Here it is.  It's called "alt", which is,
of course, "tla" spelled backwards.

#!/usr/bin/perl

$THRESHOLD = 2;

srand;
while (<>) {
    next unless /^([A-Z]\S+): */;
    $key = $1;
    $acro{$key} = $';
    @words = split(/\W+/,$');
    unshift(@words,$key);
    $off = 0;
    foreach $word (@words) {
	next unless $word =~ /^[A-Z]/;
	*w = $&;
	vec($w{$word}, $off++ % 6, 1) = 1;
    }
}

foreach $letter (A .. Z) {
    *w = $letter;
    @w = keys %w;
    if (@w < $THRESHOLD) {
	@d = `egrep '^$letter' /usr/dict/words`;
	chop @d;
	push(@w, @d);
    }
}

foreach $key (sort keys %acro) {
    $off = 0;
    $acro = $acro{$key};
    $acro =~ s/((([A-Z])[A-Z]*)[a-z]*)/ &pick($3, $2, $1, ++$off) || $& /eg;
    print "$key: $acro";
}

sub pick {
    local($letter, $prefix, $oldword, $off) = @_;
    $i = 0;
    if (length($prefix) > 1 && index($key,$prefix) < 0) {
	if ($prefix eq $oldword) {
	    $prefix = '';
	}
	else {
	    $prefix = $letter;
	}
    }
    if (length($prefix) > 1) {
	local(*w) = substr($prefix,0,1);
	do {
	    $word = $w[rand @w];
	} until $word ne $oldword && $word =~ /^$prefix/i || ++$i > 30;
	$word =~ s/^$prefix/$prefix/i;
	$word;
    }
    elsif (length($prefix) == 1) {
	local(*w) = $prefix;
	do {
	    $word = $w[rand @w];
	} until $word ne $oldword && vec($w{$word}, $off, 1) || ++$i > 10;
	$word = "\u\L$word" if $word =~ tr/a-z/A-Z/;
	$word;
    }
    else {
	local(*w) = substr($oldword,0,1);
	do {
	    $word = $w[rand @w];
	} until $word ne $oldword && $word =~ tr/a-z/A-Z/ == 0 || ++$i > 30;
	$word;
    }
}