Author Topic: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight  (Read 82676 times)

Offline pagheca

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #20 on: 05/24/2014 01:37 pm »
thanks for the suggestions. Don't forget to include the meaning of the acro every time (and the context where it is used if any).

Offline MP99

Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #21 on: 05/26/2014 02:25 pm »
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but in the only context in which I've run across SOL, it means S*** Outta Luck, the S*** usage the same as in "Same s***, different day."

In this context, SOL would be used as follows:  "He thought he would be able to get through his task list today, but what with the subcontractors going out on strike, he was SOL."

-Doug (with my shield, not yet upon it)

I always thought it was Straight Outta Luck.

Cheers, Martin

Offline RanulfC

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #22 on: 05/27/2014 03:45 pm »
Well, yeah, you didn't read the line I wrote right above that to explain it, apparently.  ???
It is a common-use term that IS indeed used by NASA. I've heard it more then once at Houston.

Used by a lot more people not in NASA.  I have heard many more others acronyms at NASA, but that does mean they are spaceflight related.  SOL is no different than FUBAR or SNAFU.  If you are going to include SOL, might as well include SOB, STFU, WTFO, MFWIC, etc.  Military slang does not equate to NASA or spaceflight slang.  Believe it or not Houston is not the center of the spaceflight universe.

ehm, while I agree that we probably shouldn't include the "racier" aspects of acro's and such I need to point out Jim that your statement:
Quote
Military slang does not equate to NASA or spaceflight slang

Is "applicably" not correct :) Military-speak and specifically the "slang" was present from the begining and tends to permeate the "language" used. I haven't looked over the list yet, but I'd be surprised if it actually included a few of the oft-used terms that derived directly from "mil-speak" such as SEMM, ("Steely-Eyed-Missile-Man" most times used to describe someone who got the job done under pressure, doing what it took to get it done, etc)

"Mil-Speak" acro's were hot and heavy from the start due to the Military's "influance" over and within NASA and rocket operations. And at times it was a direct "contest" on who's nominclature and designations would be used between "mil-speak" of the supervisors and techs and "geek-speak" of the scientists and researchers involved :)

Lest we forget the Mercury "capsule" was originally labled the "BPC" or "Biological Payload Container" even after the "man" replaced the "monkey" :)

Randy
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British physics, old chap. It's undignified to belch flames and effluvia all over the pad, what. A true gentlemen's orbital conveyance lifts itself into the air unostentatiously, with the minimum of spectacle and a modicum of grace. Not like our American cousins' launch vehicles, eh?

Offline RanulfC

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #23 on: 05/27/2014 03:46 pm »
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but in the only context in which I've run across SOL, it means S*** Outta Luck, the S*** usage the same as in "Same s***, different day."

In this context, SOL would be used as follows:  "He thought he would be able to get through his task list today, but what with the subcontractors going out on strike, he was SOL."

-Doug (with my shield, not yet upon it)

I always thought it was Straight Outta Luck.

Cheers, Martin

Nope, just like it's not "Straight on a Shingle" in the chow hall :)

Randy
From The Amazing Catstronaut on the Black Arrow LV:
British physics, old chap. It's undignified to belch flames and effluvia all over the pad, what. A true gentlemen's orbital conveyance lifts itself into the air unostentatiously, with the minimum of spectacle and a modicum of grace. Not like our American cousins' launch vehicles, eh?

Offline Jim

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #24 on: 05/27/2014 03:53 pm »

Quote
Military slang does not equate to NASA or spaceflight slang

Is "applicably" not correct :)

My point was just because the military used it, does not mean it was used by spacecraft program workers.  There is some cross over but not the bulk of the military slang

Offline astropl

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #25 on: 05/28/2014 07:52 am »
Our late colleague Antonin Vitek made very useful online list of acronyms. It's still available: http://www.lib.cas.cz/space.40/INDEXA.HTM.
Waldemar Zwierzchlejski (astropl)
http://lk.astronautilus.pl

Offline pagheca

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #26 on: 06/09/2014 03:21 pm »
v1.2 uploaded.

My plan is to upload one update a month, and remove previous versions.

Please help me by posting here new acronyms with their explanation and the context (Apollo, SLS, ISS, etc...) where it is mainly used if any.
« Last Edit: 06/09/2014 03:27 pm by pagheca »

Offline RichardF

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #27 on: 06/11/2014 08:03 pm »
There are an endless number if you look into specific projects. However, here are some general ones which are missing:
ACT: attitude control thruster
AIT: Assembly, Integration and Test
AIV: Assembly, Integration and Verification
ECSS: European Cooperation for Space Standardization
SVT: system verification test
LEOP: launch and early orbit phase
SDB: satellite database
GNSS: global navigation satellite system
RO: radio occultation
RX: receiver
TX: transmitter
TC: telecommand
TM: telemetry
HPTC: high priority telecommand
OBCP: on-board control procedure
OGSE: optical ground support equipment
UQPSK: unsymmetrical quadrature phase shift keying

More next time. I've got loads but it takes an effort to think through what I know and check if it's general.

cheers,
Richard

Offline pagheca

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #28 on: 06/11/2014 08:10 pm »
Thanks a lot, RichardF! You are right: the number of acronyms in Space flight is almost infinite!!! (not just 26^x, for x reasonably large, as many of them have many different meanings...).

However, I think some of those in the list (AIT, AIV, RX, TX...) are really generic, and it maybe better not to add them to the list. (Yes: many in the original NASA list are generic too but filtering them would take too much time...)
« Last Edit: 06/11/2014 08:13 pm by pagheca »

Offline mme

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #29 on: 08/19/2014 07:22 pm »
v1.2 uploaded.

My plan is to upload one update a month, and remove previous versions.

Please help me by posting here new acronyms with their explanation and the context (Apollo, SLS, ISS, etc...) where it is mainly used if any.
Thanks for maintaining this.  Could you add updates to the initial message in the thread so they are easy to find?
Space is not Highlander.  There can, and will, be more than one.

Offline pagheca

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #30 on: 08/20/2014 07:58 pm »
Thanks for maintaining this.  Could you add updates to the initial message in the thread so they are easy to find?

Done!  :P

Offline deaville

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #31 on: 08/21/2014 07:26 am »
LRD - stands for Landing and Recovery Division. This was abolished in 1972.

Not sure that Launch Recovery Division as listed is valid as the Landing and Recovery Division also prepared and had procedures for launch aborts.
Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright until they speak.

Offline dchill

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #32 on: 08/21/2014 02:00 pm »
The most exhaustive historical acronym list I've ever run across was one on a Czech site here:
<<http://www.lib.cas.cz/space.40/ACRONYMS/TACRON-0.HTM>>

When I merged it into a list I already had and converted it to pdf it ended up being ~675 pages long.

Unfortunately the author seems to have stopped updating it in 2007.

Offline aga

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #33 on: 08/21/2014 05:23 pm »
Unfortunately the author seems to have stopped updating it in 2007.

as far as i can tell... the author was Antonin Vitek
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Offline Jim

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #34 on: 08/21/2014 05:45 pm »
LRD - stands for Landing and Recovery Division. This was abolished in 1972.

Landing and Recovery Director.  Was in the LCC for shuttle missions.  I believe it will exist for Orion

Offline deaville

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #35 on: 08/21/2014 08:54 pm »
LRD - stands for Landing and Recovery Division. This was abolished in 1972.

Landing and Recovery Director.  Was in the LCC for shuttle missions.  I believe it will exist for Orion

I know several 'old timers' who worked for LRD who would disagree with you.
Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright until they speak.

Offline Jim

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #36 on: 08/21/2014 10:04 pm »
LRD - stands for Landing and Recovery Division. This was abolished in 1972.

Landing and Recovery Director.  Was in the LCC for shuttle missions.  I believe it will exist for Orion

I know several 'old timers' who worked for LRD who would disagree with you.

I am not saying it wasn't used then (and was only used for a short while).  But it has been overshadowed for the last 35 years or more by the shuttle, it is Landing and Recovery Director.  And there are many more 'old timers' that worked in that.

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/lps/ab/ab.html

You got to let go of it.  Apollo existed for only 15 years and Saturn V had only 13 launches.  Only some facilities remain.  Its legacy is only in its accomplishments, its practices have been made OBE by the shuttle.   And actually, the real practices that remain are those done by the unmanned programs both launch vehicle and spacecraft, who have been chugging along since the early 60's.  The legacy of NRL and Bob Gray's Vanguard group along with the Air Force Atlas/Titan and Delta/Thor groups still lives on, unlike the Restone MFL and MSC spacecraft groups. 

You got to stop comparing everything to Apollo.  There has been a lot more happening since then.  The moon landing was a stunt.
« Last Edit: 08/21/2014 10:13 pm by Jim »

Online DaveS

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #37 on: 08/21/2014 10:09 pm »
LRD - stands for Landing and Recovery Division. This was abolished in 1972.

Landing and Recovery Director.  Was in the LCC for shuttle missions.  I believe it will exist for Orion

I know several 'old timers' who worked for LRD who would disagree with you.
What part do you disagree with? That there was an LRD for the shuttle or that there will be an Orion LRD? The shuttle LRD was responsible for the ground assets at all the landing sites (RTLS, AOA and TAL).
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Offline IslandPlaya

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #38 on: 08/21/2014 10:10 pm »
Wow!  :o
Respect

Offline deaville

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Re: List of Acronyms used in Space Flight
« Reply #39 on: 08/22/2014 05:23 am »
It's not me that's disagreeing. LRD (Landing and Recovery Division) is a valid acronym even if it is historic. My original post did say that it was abolished in 1972. By the same arguement as used by Jim, do we discard also FITH, FIDO, LOS and other acronyms from the Apollo era?
« Last Edit: 08/22/2014 06:25 am by deaville »
Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright until they speak.

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