From: lwall@netlabs.com (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: CAPCOM?? Does it still mean ....
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:17:47 GMT
Organization: NetLabs, Inc.

In article <Bx7x51.7q5@news.cso.uiuc.edu> jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Josh 'K' Hopkins) writes:
: Rick.Ellis@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
: 
: >On <Oct 31 15:31> RICHARD F. JONES writes:
: 
: > RFJ> Didn't CAPCOM originally stand for CAPsule COMmunications?   And if it 
: > RFJ> did, why has it not been changed in light of the orbitor and future 
: > RFJ> missions?  Perhaps a OBCOM posltion for OrBitor COMmunications or 
: > RFJ> something else??
: 
: >Why waste a good acronym just because the meaning has been lost?
: 
: In fact, I think that's a requirement for most NASA acronyms :-)  In my
: experience, many people who use aerospace acronyms daily need to think quite
: a while to remeber just what it is they stand for.

Having worked at JPL, I should point out that most people don't ever
learn what the acronyms stand for in the first place...  :-)

Of course, if the meanings have changed over time, one can always come
up with new glosses for the old acronyms.  I've even got a little
program that makes it easier.  (It's posted regularly, at the end of
the acronym list that appears in sci.space.news.  (The name of the
program is "alt" (which, of course, is "tla" spelled backwards).))

Below is a revised NASA acronym list I posted a while back, produced by
the aforementioned program.   Some of the entries may possibly be construed
as funny by certain individuals.  They're best read at 2:00 a.m., or
whenever you're most unhinged.

Particularly fitting, I think, are the new glosses for NACA and NASA...  :-)

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
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