bruno@sdcc10.ucsd.EDU (Bruce W. Mohler) (08/04/89)
I am posting this on behalf of Sameer Mithal of Digital Equipment Corporation who does not trust his news poster... This is the most complete list of acronyms that I've seen so far. From: mithal@slda1.enet.dec.com (B-2 or not B-2: They made the right choice!) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 89 07:05:40 PDT Message-Id: <8908031405.AA12756@decwrl.dec.com> To: bruno%sdcc10@ucsd.edu Subject: Shuttle acronyms Hi Bruce: Thanks for your response. I hope my message appears in the news shortly. Maybe I'll try and repost it. In any case, here is a list of the acronyms/abbreviations I have compiled so far: Known abbreviations (acronyms) used in the space shuttle program: AFD - Aft Flight Deck APU - Auxiliary Power Unit BSTS - Boost Surveillance Tracking System CCTV - Closed Circuit Television ETR - Eastern Test Range EVA - Extra Vehicular Activity GSC - Goddard Space Center GSE - Ground Support Equipment HST - Hubble Space Telescope JSC - Johnson Space Center KSC - Kennedy Space Centre MFR _ Manipulator Foot Restraint MGA - Medium-Gain Antenna MMU - Manned Maneuvering Unit OMRF - Orbiter Modification and Refurbishment Facility OPF - Orbiter Processing Facility RFP - Request For Proposal RPSF - Rotation Processing and Surge Facility RSS - Rotating Service Structure RTLS - Return To Launch Site SCC - Space Commerce Corporation SES - Systems Engineering Simulator SIT - Shuttle Interface Test SMA - Secondary Motor Assembly SOS - Space Operations Simulation SRB - Solid Rocket Booster SSBUV - Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Scientific Payload STS - Space Transportation System TCDT - Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test TDRS - Tracking and Data Relay Satellite TPAD - Trunnion Pin Acquisition Device TTB - Technology Test Bed VAB - Vertical (Vehical) Assembly Building I'd appreciate it if you could let me know if you see it on the net. Thanks Sameer -- Bruce W. Mohler Systems Programmer (aka Staff Analyst) bruno@sdcc10.ucsd.edu voice: 619/586-2218
phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) (08/04/89)
There are sooooo many of them. I understand that JSC has a rather sizable booklet of acronyms that newcomers can use to help get acquainted. Of course, it doesn't even have them all. Here are some more that might be of general interest (excuse the question marks... this is all from memory): AOA - Abort Once Around AOS - Acquisition Of Signal ATO - Abort To Orbit CCT - Crew Compartment Trainer (in bldg. 9A at JSC) FCR - Flight Control Room (the "Mission Control" you see on TV) FFT - Full Fuselage Trainer (in bldg. 9A at JSC) GPC - General Purpose Computer HAC - Heading and Alignment Circle IFM - In-Flight Maintenance (i.e.: replacing a GPC) LDEF - Long-Duration Exposure Facility (?) LOS - Loss Of Signal MECO - Main Engine CutOff MOC - Mission Operations Computer MPSR - Mission Planning and Support Room(s) (the Mission Control you don't see) MS - Mission Specialist (usually followed by a number: MS1, MS2, etc.) RMS - Remote Manipulator System---the arm (or maybe it's RMA) TAL - Trans-Atlantic Abort Landing (?) WETF - Weightless Environment Training Facility (my favorite NASA acronym: the WETF is a huge pool!) These aren't so much acronyms as they are abbreviations. You can hear these used by launch control prior to launch: CDR - CommanDeR PLT - PiLoT And here's an inverse acronym: "Candy Coated Chocolates" - M&M (I'm serious---that's what they call them.) William LeFebvre Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Northwestern University <phil@eecs.nwu.edu>
rjc@dee.uk.ac.ed (Richard Caley) (08/07/89)
In article <1001@accuvax.nwu.edu> phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) writes: >CDR - CommanDeR >PLT - PiLoT Do they use these? How? do they pronounce them as words ( `cuddr' and `plut' or something ) - if not they take more time to say than the complete word. -- rjc@uk.ac.ed.aipna Have you hugged your Knnn today? rjc@uk.ac.ed.aipna "Politics! You can wrap it up in fancy ribbons, but you can't hide the smell" - Jack Barron
mcdowell@cfa250.harvard.edu (Jonathan McDowell) (08/07/89)
From article <1173@aipna.ed.ac.uk>, by rjc@dee.uk.ac.ed (Richard Caley): >>CDR - CommanDeR >>PLT - PiLoT > Do they use these? How? do they pronounce them as words ( `cuddr' and > `plut' or something ) - if not they take more time to say than the > complete word. My impression is that, at least originally, they were used in written documents (I guess most acronyms start that way, I'm much lazier about writing something than I am about saying it). They probably started saying CDR in real speech just to be cute. - Jonathan McDowell
phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) (08/08/89)
In article <1173@aipna.ed.ac.uk> rjc@dee (Richard Caley) writes: >In article <1001@accuvax.nwu.edu> phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) writes: > >>CDR - CommanDeR >>PLT - PiLoT > >Do they use these? How? do they pronounce them as words ( `cuddr' and >`plut' or something ) - if not they take more time to say than the >complete word. You're right. Nonetheless, they spell them out: "cee dee ar" and "pee el tee". Next time you get a chance, listen very closely to ground control in the last 10 minutes before launch (you won't be able to do so tomorrow, since it is a DoD launch). If you listen closely enough, you'll hear stations on the ground referring to C-D-R and sometimes P-L-T. You have to listen carefully, because they rattle them off very quickly. PLT loses, but C-D-R is the same number of syllables and may actually be said quicker if you practice. William LeFebvre Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Northwestern University <phil@eecs.nwu.edu>
lesc@nmsu.edu (Lief Kirschenbaum) (08/08/89)
In article <135@sdcc10.ucsd.EDU> bruno@sdcc10.ucsd.EDU (Bruce W. Mohler) writes: >Known abbreviations (acronyms) used in the space shuttle program: > >TDRS - Tracking and Data Relay Satellite >Sameer >-- >Bruce W. Mohler >Systems Programmer (aka Staff Analyst) >bruno@sdcc10.ucsd.edu White Sands Test Facility has on its grounds the main downlink station for the Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System. It's TDRSS Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System I can see the three antennas out my window right now. It's run by Goddard and is about as secret as a fusion bomb plant; barbed wire fences, high security, etc. I'm told that the TDRSS system could/may now carry sensitive DoD information. They've also built another station about a mile and a hlaf further in the desert. The office building is built but the antennas aren't up yet. I don't understand it; a mile and a half away, one nuke/tornado/hurricane would still get both stations. I would imagine they would spread them many miles apart. The antennas don't appear to move at all. Contel is contracted to take care of the whole system. Also, we have the honor of maintaining a Shuttle landing strip down the road. It used to be called Northrup Strip, but after the shuttle landed there a few years back they renamed it White Sands Spoace Harbor WSSH White Sands Space Harbor When the shuttle landed here, no one thought to cover the engine nozzles and wind blew sand into the engines. Ever since then NASA has been wary of landing a shuttle here. Astronauts also do landing training in aircraft at the shuttle strip. The aircraft are modified to perform like a shuttle. (I suppose they throw a wrench in the engine and fill the unoccupied seats with concrete ;-) ) The views presented here are not those of my employer, but are solely mine. -Leif S. Kirschenbaum, Technical Associate, Lockheed Egineering UUCP: opus!dante!lesc Internet:lesc@nmsu.edu
phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) (08/08/89)
In article <298@opus.NMSU.EDU> lesc@dante.UUCP (Leif Kirschenbaum) writes: >The antennas don't appear to move at all. No, they wouldn't. The TDRS satellites are geosynchronous. The objects in orbit that use the system (such as the shuttle) track the satellites. One interesting side-effect of the shuttle using TDRSS is that there is no longer a re-entry LOS (or "blackout"). Did anyone else notice that on the last flight? >WSSH White Sands Space Harbor HEY! There's another one. I been wondering what the "SH" stood for. William LeFebvre Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Northwestern University <phil@eecs.nwu.edu>
tneff@bfmny0.UUCP (Tom Neff) (08/09/89)
In article <1015@accuvax.nwu.edu> phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Bill LeFebvre) writes: >One interesting side-effect of the shuttle using TDRSS is that there >is no longer a re-entry LOS (or "blackout"). Did anyone else notice >that on the last flight? Who decided this was a side effect of using TDRSS? I don't see why that would work, or even how the buttoned-up and re-entry buffeted shuttle manages TDRSS AOS in the first place. The re-entry ionization blackout has more to do with the severity of radio noise from the fireball than it does with who's listening, I thought. There have been "light" distruptions in the past, I recall, but I don't know what the common denominator is. If TDRSS somehow does it, I'd like to know how. -- "We walked on the moon -- (( Tom Neff you be polite" )) tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET
petej@phred.UUCP (Pete Jarvis) (08/10/89)
In article <14531@bfmny0.UUCP> tneff@bfmny0.UUCP (Tom Neff) writes: > >Who decided this was a side effect of using TDRSS? I don't see why that >would work, or even how the buttoned-up and re-entry buffeted shuttle >manages TDRSS AOS in the first place. > >The re-entry ionization blackout has more to do with the severity of >radio noise from the fireball than it does with who's listening, I Tom, I also heard there is no more black-out on re-entry because of TDRS. Apparently the Shuttle can transmit up to the TDRS during this time, and from there to White Sands. Peter Jarvis...