| Acronym | Meaning |
| FIR | Far InfraRed |
| DSCS | Defense Satellite Communications System |
| FAST | Fast Auroral SnapshoT Explorer |
| KAO | Kuiper Airborne Observatory |
| COBE | COsmic Background Explorer |
| DARPA | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| ISAS | Institute Of Space AND Astronautical Science |
| CERES | Clouds And Earth's Radiant Energy System |
| ERBE | Earth Radiation Budget Experiment |
| QSO | Quasi-Stellar Object |