| Acronym | Meaning |
| ERS | Environmental Research Satellite |
| AFPRO | Air Force Plan Representative Office |
| IFEA | Integrated Furnace Experiment Assembly |
| TAU | Thousand Astronomical Unit |
| MEV | Mars Excursion Vehicle |
| APL | Applied Physics Laboratory (at Johns Hopkins) |
| AGE | Auxiliary Ground Equipment |
| MCC | Mission Control Center |
| MTPE | Mission To Planet Earth |
| ENSO | El Nino/Southern Oscillation |