| Acronym | Meaning |
| ADEOS | ADvanced Earth Observing Satellite (Japan) |
| NASA | National Aeronautics And Space Administration |
| ER-2 | Earth Resources (plane) |
| HIMSS | HIgh-resolution Microwave Spectrometer Sounder |
| METEOSAT | METEOrological SATellite (European) |
| HIRIS | HIgh-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (EOS) |
| GAC | Global Area Coverage |
| VISAD | Visualization For Algorithm Development |
| NCDC | National Climatic Data Center |
| XBSS | X-ray Background Survey Spectrometer |