Acronyms - NewAthena
| Acronym | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| AISR |
Athena Independent Science Review |
|
| 1g | Earth's gravity | |
| 3E | Electrical, Electronic, and Electro-mechanical, sometimes referred to as triple E (components) | |
| A (duplicate) |
Abell (galaxy cluster) | |
| A (duplicate) |
Acceptance (testing) | |
| A (duplicate) |
Analysis | |
| A64 | Ariane-6.4 (launcher) | |
| AA | Alignment Acceptance | |
| AAD | Attitude-Anomaly Detector | |
| AAP | Active-Archival Phase | |
| AAT | Advanced Analysis Tool | |
| AB | Abstract | |
| ABCL | As-Built Configuration List | |
| ABS | ABSolute | |
| AC (duplicate) |
Active Cascode | |
| AC (duplicate) |
Alternating Current | |
| a-C | amorphous Carbon | |
| AC (duplicate) |
Analytical Calculator (within SIMPOSiuM) | |
| AC (duplicate) |
Anti-Coincidence | |
| ACC | ACCelerometer | |
| ACD | Anti-Coincidence Detector | |
| ACE | Advanced Composition Explorer (spacecraft) | |
| ACO | Athena Community Office | |
| ACP | Athena Calibration Plan | |
| ACPTF | Athena Calibration Plan Task Force | |
| ACS (duplicate) |
Activity Control Sheet | |
| ACS (duplicate) |
Attitude Control System | |
| ACSS | Athena Common Software System | |
| ACSST | Athena Common Software System Team | |
| AD (duplicate) |
Adjusted Derivative (pulse detection) | |
| AD (duplicate) |
Analogue to Digital | |
| AD (duplicate) |
Applicable Document | |
| ADA | Athena Data Analysis | |
| ADC | Analogue to Digital Converter | |
| ADE | Actuator Drive Electronics | |
| ADF | Attitude Determination Frame | |
| ADPM | Antenna Deployment and Pointing Mechanism | |
| ADR (duplicate) |
Adiabatic Cooler | |
| ADR (duplicate) |
Adiabatic Demagnetisation Refrigerator | |
| ADS | Airbus Defence and Space | |
| AE (duplicate) |
ArianEspace | |
| AE (duplicate) |
Astro-E | |
| AE8/AE9 | NASA trapped electron/proton environment models | |
| AFE | Analogue Front End | |
| AFM | Atomic Force Microscope | |
| AFT | Abbreviated Functional Test | |
| AGH | Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza (University of Science and Technology, Kraków) | |
| AGN | Active Galactic Nucleus | |
| AH | Astro-H | |
| AHEAD | (Integrated) Activities in the High Energy Astrophysics Domain | |
| AHEPaM | Athena High-Energy Particle Monitor | |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence | |
| AIB | Analogue Interface Board | |
| AIT | Assembly, Integration, and Test | |
| AIT/V | Assembly, Integration and Test/Verification | |
| AIV | Assembly, Integration, and Verification | |
| AKE | Absolute Knowledge Error | |
| AL | Acceptance (test) Load | |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| ALAT | Air Liquide Advanced Technologies | |
| ALBA | synchrotron radiation facility in Barcelona, Spain (meaning “sunrise”) | |
| ALD | Atomic Layer Deposition | |
| aLIGO | Advanced LIGO | |
| ALM | Additive Layer Manufacturing | |
| AMA | Athena Mirror Assembly | |
| AMBER | Active Monitor Box of Electrostatic Risk (radiation monitor) | |
| AMOLF | (instituut voor) Atoom- en MOLecuulFysica (institute for atomic and molecular physics) | |
| AMS | Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (ISS) | |
| AMXP | Accretion-powered Millisecond X-ray Pulsar | |
| AO | Announcement of Opportunity | |
| AOB | All Other Business | |
| AOCS | Attitude and Orbit Control Sub-system | |
| AOS | Acquisition Of Signal | |
| AOT | Astronomical Observation Template | |
| AP | As Proposed | |
| ApC | Aperture Cylinder | |
| APC | AstroParticule and Cosmologie (Paris) | |
| APDB | Athena Parameter DataBase | |
| APE | Absolute Performance (Pointing) Error | |
| APEC | Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code | |
| APM (duplicate) |
Ammonia Peroxide Mix | |
| APM (duplicate) |
Antenna Pointing Mechanism | |
| APME | Antenna Pointing Mechanism Electronics | |
| APR | Array Power Regulator | |
| APS (duplicate) |
Active Phase Shift(er) | |
| APS (duplicate) |
Active-Pixel Sensor | |
| APSW | APplication SoftWare | |
| AR (duplicate) |
Acceptance Review | |
| AR (duplicate) |
Annual Review | |
| AR (duplicate) |
Anomaly Review | |
| AR (duplicate) |
Aspect Ratio (pixel) | |
| AR64 | Ariane-6.4 (launcher) | |
| ARB (duplicate) |
Acceptance Review Board | |
| ARB (duplicate) |
Anomaly Review Board | |
| ARBEB | Athena Red Book Editorial Board | |
| ARCUS | Arcus MIDEX Explorer (NASA) | |
| AREMBES | Athena Radiation Environment Models and X-Ray Background Effects Simulators (Athena Radiation Environment Modelling Background EStimator) | |
| ARES | Analysis and Reporting System | |
| ARF | Ancillary Response File | |
| ARSE | Angular Resolution Sensitivity Exercise | |
| ASA | Athena Science Archive | |
| ASCA | Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics | |
| ASCII | American Standard Code for Information Interchange | |
| ASDC | Athena Science Data Centre | |
| ASE | Athena System Engineering (Board) | |
| ASF | AREMBES Simulation Framework | |
| ASGS | Athena Science Ground Segment | |
| ASH | Acquisition and Safe Hold Mode | |
| ASI | Agenzia Spaziale Italiana | |
| ASIC | Application-Specific Integrated Circuit | |
| ASIE | Athena Science Impact Exercise | |
| ASMB | Athena System Management Board | |
| ASPHEA | Alignment of Silicon Pore optics for High-Energy Astronomy | |
| ASSATF | Athena Science Sensitivity Analysis Task Force | |
| ASST (duplicate) |
Athena Science Study Team | |
| ASST (duplicate) |
ATHENA Science Support Team | |
| ASST (duplicate) |
Athena Software and System Team | |
| AST | Analysis STep | |
| ASW | Application Software | |
| AT | AusTria | |
| ATAC | Athena Time Allocation Committee | |
| ATB | Avionics Test Bench | |
| ATHENA | Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics | |
| ATP | Authorisation to Proceed | |
| ATSAL | ATomic Spectral AnaLysis | |
| ATV | Automated Transfer Vehicle | |
| au | Astronomical Unit | |
| AV | Advanced Variant | |
| aVirgo | Advanced Virgo | |
| AVM (duplicate) |
AVionics Model | |
| AVM (duplicate) |
Avionic Verification Model | |
| AWG | Astronomy Working Group (ESA) | |
| AXB | Astrophysical X-ray Background | |
| B | Belgium | |
| B2CD | project phases B2, C, and D combined | |
| B4C | Boron_4-Carbide | |
| B4N | Boron Nitride | |
| BAF | BAFfle | |
| BAM | Background Analysis Module (SPM/WFI) | |
| BAR | Background Assessment Report | |
| BAT | BATtery sub-system | |
| BB | Bread Board | |
| BBFB | BaseBand FeedBack | |
| BCB | BenzoCycloButene (coating) | |
| BCDR | Battery Charge and Discharge Regulator | |
| BCG | Brightest Cluster Galaxy | |
| BCM | Battery Charge Management | |
| BCR | Battery Charge Regulator | |
| BD | Brown Dwarf | |
| BDR | Battery Discharge Regulator | |
| BDRF | Bi-Directional Reflectivity Function | |
| BE | Background Estimate | |
| BEAR | Bending magnet for Emission, Absorption, and Reflectivity (beam line) | |
| BEaTriX | Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility | |
| BEE | Back-End Electronics | |
| BERT | BERTini cascade (model) | |
| BESSY | Berlin Electron Storage Ring Society for Synchrotron Radiation | |
| BEUR | Billion EURo | |
| BF (duplicate) |
Best Focus | |
| BF (duplicate) |
Blocking Factor | |
| BGD | BackGrounD | |
| B-H | magnetic induction and magnetic field | |
| BHB | Black-Hole Binary | |
| BHC | Black-Hole Candidate | |
| BIC | BInary Cascade (model) | |
| BIPR | Background Intellectual Property Right | |
| BISPO | Baffled IXO SPO (mirror module) | |
| BKG | BacKGround | |
| BL | Boundary Layer | |
| BLWN | Band-Limited White Noise | |
| BND | Beam-Normalisation Detector | |
| BoE | Back of (the) Envelope (calculation) | |
| BoGEMMS | Bologna GEant4 Multi-Mission Simulator | |
| BoL | Beginning of Life | |
| BoT | Beginning of Test | |
| BOT | Beginning Of Track | |
| BP | Base Plate | |
| Br | Bracket (spectral line) | |
| BS | BremsStrahlung | |
| BSC (duplicate) |
Back-SCattering | |
| BSC (duplicate) |
Bright Star Catalogue | |
| BSCW | Basic Support for Cooperative Work | |
| BSE | Back-Scattered Electron | |
| BSR | Baseline Selection Review | |
| BUSD | Billion US Dollar | |
| BUT | Brno University of Technology | |
| C (duplicate) |
Capacitor | |
| C (duplicate) |
Carbon | |
| C (duplicate) |
(degree) Celsius | |
| CA | Conical(-approximation) Athena | |
| CaC | Cost at Completion | |
| CaCC | Cost-at-Completion Cap | |
| CAD | Computer-Aided Design | |
| CAF | Contiguous Area Fraction | |
| CAP | Cooler Ancillary Panel | |
| CAS (duplicate) |
Calibration ASsembly (X-IFU) | |
| CAS (duplicate) |
Czech Academy of Sciences | |
| CATIA | Computer-Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application | |
| C/B | Clamp Band | |
| CBE | Current Best Estimate | |
| CBK | Centrum Badań Kosmicznych | |
| CBUSH | specific element in NASTRAN | |
| CC (duplicate) |
Cleanliness and Contamination | |
| CC (duplicate) |
Cold Core (galaxy cluster) | |
| CC (duplicate) |
Cooling Chain | |
| CC (duplicate) |
Core Collapse (supernova) | |
| CC (duplicate) |
Cost-Constrained (mission) | |
| CCB | Configuration Control Board | |
| CCCM | Channel-Cut Crystal Monochromator | |
| CCCP | Cleanliness, Contamination, and Control Plan | |
| CCD (duplicate) |
Charged Coupled Device | |
| CCD (duplicate) |
Contract Closure Document | |
| CCDR | Closed-Cycle Dilution Refrigerator | |
| CCDS | Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems | |
| CCE | Cooler Control Electronics | |
| CCGA | Ceramic Column Grid Array | |
| CCH | Cooler Cryo(genic) Harness | |
| CCHP | Continuous Conductance Heat Pipe | |
| CCM | Centre for Concepts in Mechatronics | |
| CCN | Change-of-Contract Notice | |
| CCP (duplicate) |
Component Control Plan | |
| CCP (duplicate) |
Contamination Control Plan | |
| CCSDS | Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems | |
| CCU | Cryocooler Unit | |
| CCW | Counter ClockWise | |
| CD (duplicate) |
Compact Disc | |
| CD (duplicate) |
Cool Down | |
| CDA | Clean Dry Air | |
| CDE | Cooler Drive Electronics | |
| CDF (duplicate) |
Concurrent Design Facility (ESA) | |
| CDF (duplicate) |
Cumulative Distribution Function | |
| CDFS | Chandra Deep Field South | |
| C&DH | Command and Data Handling | |
| CDM | Code-Domain Multiplexing (Code-Division Multiplexing) | |
| CDMS | Command and Data Management Sub-system | |
| CDMU (duplicate) |
Central Data Management Unit | |
| CDMU (duplicate) |
Command and Data Management Unit | |
| CDR | Critical Design Review | |
| CE (duplicate) |
Conducted Emission | |
| CE (duplicate) |
Conformité Européenne | |
| CEA | Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique | |
| CEB | CEBreros (35-m ESA ground station near Madrid, Spain) | |
| CELAS | specific element in NASTRAN | |
| CER | Cost Estimating Relationship | |
| CeSiC | Carbon-fiber-reinforced Silicon-Carbide | |
| cf | confer / conferatur (compare with) | |
| CF | Crest Factor | |
| CFA | Coldfinger Assembly (for Cryocoolers) | |
| CFDP | CCSDS File Delivery Protocol | |
| CFE (duplicate) |
Control Front End | |
| CFE (duplicate) |
Customer-Furnished Equipment | |
| CFEE (duplicate) |
Cold Front End Electronics | |
| CFEE (duplicate) |
Cold Front-End Electronics | |
| Cfg | Configuration | |
| CFI | Customer Furnished Item | |
| CFRP | Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer | |
| CG | Cut Gain | |
| CGH | Computer-Generated Hologramme | |
| CH (duplicate) |
Camera Head (WFI) | |
| CH (duplicate) |
La CHuisse (Switzerland) | |
| CHT | Cylindrical Hall Thruster | |
| CHX (duplicate) |
Cooler Heat eXchange(r) | |
| CHX (duplicate) |
Cryocooler Heat Exchanger (for Joule-Thomson Cryocoolers) | |
| CI (duplicate) |
Configuration Item | |
| CI (duplicate) |
Conformance Inspection | |
| CIC | Connector Identification Code | |
| CIDL | Configuration Item Data List | |
| CIL | Critical Items List | |
| CIRSOS | Collaborative Iterative Radiation Shielding Optimisation System | |
| CLA (duplicate) |
Cooler (connecting) Line Assembly | |
| CLA (duplicate) |
Coupled-Load Analysis | |
| CLS | Canadian Light Source | |
| CM (duplicate) |
Chemical Manoeuvre | |
| CM (duplicate) |
Common Mode | |
| CM (duplicate) |
Compliance Matrix | |
| CM (duplicate) |
Consortium Meeting | |
| CM (duplicate) |
Ministerial Council (meeting) | |
| CMA (duplicate) |
Cooler Mechanical Assembly | |
| CMA (duplicate) |
Cost Model Accuracy | |
| CMA (duplicate) |
Cryocooler Mechanical Assembly | |
| CMCU | Common Mode Correction Unit | |
| CME (duplicate) |
Coefficient of Moisture Expansion | |
| CME (duplicate) |
Coronal Mass Ejection | |
| CMG | Control Moment Gyro | |
| CMMI | Capability Maturity Model Integration | |
| CMP | Configuration Management Plan | |
| CMRR | Common-Mode Rejection Ratio | |
| CMZ | Central Molecular Zone | |
| CN (duplicate) |
Change Notice | |
| CN (duplicate) |
Classical Nova | |
| CNC | Computer Numerical Controlled | |
| CND | CircumNuclear Disk | |
| CNES | Centre National d'Études Spatiales | |
| CO | Chief Officer | |
| CoB (duplicate) |
Close of Business | |
| CoB (duplicate) |
(X-IFU) Consortium Board | |
| CoC | Certificate of Conformance | |
| CODEV | Code V optics / ray-tracing simulation software | |
| CoDR | Conceptual Design Review | |
| CoG | Centre of Gravity | |
| CoM | Centre of Mass | |
| COM | COMmunication sub-system | |
| ConOps | Concept of Operations | |
| CoP | Centre of Pressure | |
| CORE | Cost-Oriented Reprogramming Exercise (Cost-driven Observation Reprogramming Exercise) | |
| COSPAR | Committee On SPAce Research | |
| COTS | Commercial Off The Shelf | |
| COVID(-19) | COrona VIrus Disease (2019) | |
| CP (duplicate) |
Calibration Plan | |
| CP (duplicate) |
Commissioning Phase | |
| CPA (duplicate) |
Compressor Assembly (for Cryocoolers) | |
| CPA (duplicate) |
Cooler Compressor Assembly | |
| CPD | Charged-Particle Diverter | |
| CPF | Complex Pupil Function | |
| CPM | Central Processing Module | |
| CPPA | Coordinated Parts Procurement Agent | |
| CPS (duplicate) |
Central Plasma Sheet | |
| CPS (duplicate) |
Chemical Propulsion (Propellant) Sub-system | |
| CPS (duplicate) |
Counts Per Second | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Change Request | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Clean Room | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Cosine Research | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Cosmic Ray | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Count Rate | |
| CR (duplicate) |
Czech Republic | |
| CRD | Calibration Requirements Document | |
| CReMA | Consolidated Report on Mission Analysis | |
| CRS (duplicate) |
Cleanliness Requirement Specification | |
| CRS (duplicate) |
Coarse Rate Sensor | |
| CRV | (time-)Constant Random Variable | |
| CS (duplicate) |
Conductive Susceptibility | |
| CS (duplicate) |
Cooling System | |
| CSD | Coordinate System Document | |
| CSDE | Collaborative Software Development Environment | |
| CSI | Customer Source Inspection | |
| CSL | Centre Spatial de Liège | |
| CSS (duplicate) |
Coarse Sun Sensor | |
| CSS (duplicate) |
Core Science Survey | |
| CSV | Comma-Separated Values | |
| CSW | Central SoftWare | |
| CT (duplicate) |
Compton Thick | |
| CT (duplicate) |
Core Test | |
| CTA | Cherenkov Telescope Array | |
| CTE | Coefficient of Thermal Expansion | |
| CTP | Core Technology Programme (ESA) | |
| CTQ | Critical To Quality | |
| CTR | Central Time Reference | |
| CTTS | Classical T-Tauri Star | |
| CV (duplicate) |
Conservative Variant | |
| CV (duplicate) |
Cosmic Vision (programme of ESA's science directorate) | |
| CV1525 | Cosmic Vision Programme 2015 - 2025 | |
| CVCM | Collected Volatile Condensable Material | |
| CVD | Chemical Vapour Deposition | |
| CW (duplicate) |
Calendar Week | |
| CW (duplicate) |
ClockWise | |
| CWB | Colliding-Wind Binary | |
| CX | Charge eXchange | |
| CXB | Cosmic X-ray Background | |
| CXC | Chandra X-ray observatory Center | |
| CXO | Chandra X-ray Observatory | |
| D (duplicate) |
Design | |
| D (duplicate) |
Diplexer | |
| D (duplicate) |
Germany (Deutschland) | |
| DA | DopAmine | |
| DAC | Digital-to-Analogue Converter | |
| DAQ | Data AQuisition | |
| DBRR | DCS Breadboarding for Risk Reduction | |
| DC (duplicate) |
Direct Current | |
| DC (duplicate) |
Double Cone | |
| DCCM | Document Control and Change Manager | |
| DCM | Double-Crystal Monochromator | |
| DCR (duplicate) |
Dedicated Control Room (at ESOC) | |
| DCR (duplicate) |
Digital Control Room | |
| DCS (duplicate) |
Demonstrator of the (X-IFU) Cooling System | |
| DCS (duplicate) |
Detector Cooling System | |
| DD (duplicate) |
Double Degenerate | |
| DD (duplicate) |
(X-IFU) Dewar Door | |
| DDF | Design Definition File | |
| DDID | Data Delivery Interface Document | |
| DDOR | Delta Differential One-way Ranging | |
| DDS | Data Dissemination System | |
| DDT | Director’s Discretionary Time | |
| DDVP | Design, Development, and Verification Plan | |
| dE | delta Energy (energy resolution) | |
| DE | Detector Electronics | |
| DEE | DE-Excitation Model | |
| DE/EP | Digital Electronics/ Events Processing | |
| DEPFET | DEpleted P-channel Field-Effect Transistor | |
| DET | Direct Energy Transfer | |
| DF | De-Focused | |
| DHS | Data-Handling Sub-system | |
| D/HSO | Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations | |
| DI | De-Ionised | |
| DIL | Deliverable Item List | |
| DIW | Deionised Water | |
| DJF | Design Justification File | |
| DK | DenmarK | |
| DLC | Diamond-Like Carbon | |
| DLL (duplicate) |
Design Launch Load | |
| DLL (duplicate) |
Design Limit Load | |
| DLR | Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt | |
| DM (duplicate) |
Demonstration Model | |
| DM (duplicate) |
Differential Mode | |
| dMCR | delta Mission Consolidation Review (2017) | |
| DML | Declared Materials List | |
| DMM | Design Maturity Margin | |
| DN | Dwarf Nova | |
| DNEL | Disable Non-Essential Loads | |
| DNM | Date of Next Meeting | |
| DOA | Degree of Adequacy of the Cost model | |
| DoD | Depth of Discharge | |
| DoF | Degree of Freedom | |
| DOF | Degrees of Freedom | |
| DOORS | Dynamic Object Oriented Requirements System | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Data Pack | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Data Processing | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Decommissioning Phase | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Detector Plane | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Disposal Phase | |
| DP (duplicate) |
Dowel Pin | |
| DPA | Destructive Physical Analysis | |
| DPAICD | Data Producer to Archive Interface Control Document | |
| DPR (duplicate) |
Detector-Plane Response | |
| DPR (duplicate) |
Diffraction plus reflection Pattern from Ray optics | |
| DR | DRain current (readout mode) | |
| DRB | Delivery Review Board | |
| DRD | Document Requirements Description (Definition) | |
| DRE | Digital Readout Electronics | |
| DRL | Deliverable (Documents) Requirements List | |
| DS | Death Star (MM assembly jig) | |
| DS2 | Death Star version 2 (MM assembly jig version 2) | |
| DSA | Deep Space Antenna | |
| D/SCI | Directorate of Science | |
| DSL | Domain Specific Language | |
| DSMC | Direct Simulation Monte-Carlo | |
| DSR | Definition Study Report | |
| DST | Deep Space Transponder | |
| DT (duplicate) |
Dead Time | |
| DT (duplicate) |
Discretionary Time | |
| DTA | Detent high-Torque rotary Actuator | |
| DTCP | Daily TeleCommunications Period | |
| DTD | Documentation Tree Document | |
| DTU | DTU Space (formally: National Space Institute, Danish: Institut for Rumforskning og Rumteknologi), part of the Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet) | |
| DUL | Design Ultimate Load | |
| DV | Delta V(elocity) | |
| DWV | Dielectric withstanding voltage | |
| DYL | Design Yield Load | |
| E | Espana (Spain) | |
| E2E | End-to-End | |
| E2EPA | End-to-End Performance Assessment (also e2ePA) | |
| EA | Effective Area | |
| EAAC | Effective-Area Analytical Calculator | |
| EAICD | Experiment to Archive Interface Control Document | |
| EAST (duplicate) |
ESA Athena Science Team | |
| EAST (duplicate) |
ESO-Athena Synergy Team | |
| EBB | Elegant BreadBoard | |
| EBIT | Electron Beam Ion Trap | |
| EC | Economic Conditions | |
| eCaC | estimated Cost at Completion | |
| ECAP | Erlangen Centre for Astro-particle Physics | |
| ECC | ESTRACK Control Centre | |
| ECR | Earth-Centred Rotating (coordinate system) | |
| ECS (duplicate) |
EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer | |
| ECS (duplicate) |
Environmental Control Sub-system | |
| ECSS | European Cooperation for Space Standardization | |
| ECV | Exponentially-Correlated Variable | |
| EDI | ElectroDeIonisation | |
| EDM | Electrostatic Discharge Machining | |
| EEE | Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (triple-E) | |
| EEF | Energy Encircled Fraction | |
| EF | Eigen Frequency | |
| EFM | Electrical and Functional Model | |
| EFR | Established Failure Rate | |
| EFU | Event Filter Unit | |
| eg | exempli gratia (for example) | |
| EGSE | Electrical Ground-Support Equipment | |
| EIA | Electronic Industries Alliance | |
| EID | Experiment Interface Document | |
| EID-A | Experiment Interface Document part A | |
| EID-B | Experiment Interface Document part B | |
| EIDP | End-Item Data Package | |
| EIPS | Electron Impact Point Source | |
| EIRP | Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power | |
| ELG | Event List Generator | |
| ELP | Low-Energy Proton | |
| ELR | End-of-Life Review | |
| EM (duplicate) |
Electrical Model | |
| EM (duplicate) |
Emission Measure | |
| EM (duplicate) |
Engineering Model | |
| EMC | Electro-Magnetic Compatibility | |
| EME2000 | Earth-centred Equatorial Coordinate System | |
| EMI | Electro-Magnetic Interference | |
| EMV(X) | Variation of Standard EM package | |
| ENC | Equivalent Noise Charge | |
| eNCTS | ECLIPSE Non-Conformance Tracking System | |
| EoL | End of Life | |
| EOP | Extended Operational Phase (also EoP) | |
| EoR | Epoch of Reionisation | |
| EoS | Equation of State | |
| EoT | End of Test | |
| EOT | End Of Track | |
| EP | Event Processing | |
| EPC | Electrical Power Conditioner | |
| EPDM | Ethylene propylene diene monomer | |
| EPE | External Project Events | |
| EPHIN | Electron Proton Helium INstrument | |
| EPIC (duplicate) |
Energetic Particles and Ion Composition | |
| EPIC (duplicate) |
European Photon Imaging Camera | |
| EPS | Electrical Power (Sub-)system | |
| EQM | Engineering and Qualification Model | |
| EQSOL | EQuipment Switch-Off Line | |
| EQSR | Equipment Qualification Status Review | |
| ERB (duplicate) |
Energy-Resolution Budget | |
| ERM | EPIC Radiation Monitor | |
| ERT | Earth Reception Time | |
| ES (duplicate) |
Electronic Structure | |
| ES (duplicate) |
Energy Scale | |
| ESA | European Space Agency | |
| ESAC | European Space Astronomy Centre (Villafranca, Spain) | |
| ESC | Electro-Static Chuck | |
| ESCC | European Space Components Coordination | |
| ESD | ElectroStatic Discharge | |
| ESDC | ESAC Science Data Centre | |
| ESHIEM | Energetic Solar Heavy Ion Environment Modelling | |
| ESMDB | European Space Materials Database | |
| ESOC | European Satellite/Spacecraft Operations Centre (Darmstadt, Germany) | |
| ESR (duplicate) |
Equivalent Serial Resistance | |
| ESR (duplicate) |
Executive Summary Report | |
| EST | ESA Study Team | |
| ESTEC | European Space research and TEchnology Centre (Noordwijk, The Netherlands) | |
| ESTRACK | European Space TRACKing Network | |
| ESU | Energy Storage Unit | |
| ET | Einstein Telescope | |
| ETB | Electrical Test Bench | |
| ETS | European Test Services (runs test center at ESTEC) | |
| EU (duplicate) |
Electronics Unit | |
| EU (duplicate) |
European Union | |
| EUV | Extreme UltraViolet | |
| EVG | EV Group (Electronic Visions Group) | |
| EVT | Environmental Verification Test | |
| EW | Equivalent Width | |
| EXACRAD | Experimental Evaluation of Athena Charged Particle Background from Secondary Radiation and Scattering in Optics | |
| EXAFS | Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure | |
| F (duplicate) |
(degree) Fahrenheit | |
| F (duplicate) |
Filter | |
| F (duplicate) |
La France | |
| F2F | "Face-to-Face (meeting) | |
| FAR | Final/Flight Acceptance Review | |
| FAT | Factory Acceptance Test | |
| FAU | Friedrich Alexander University | |
| FC | (WFI) Fast Chip (obsolete, now called FD) | |
| FCM | Four Crystal Monochromator | |
| FCT | Flight Control Team | |
| FD (duplicate) |
Flight Dynamics (team) | |
| FD (duplicate) |
(WFI) Fast Detector | |
| FDDB | Flight Dynamics Data Base | |
| FDE | Flight Dynamics Engineer | |
| FDIR | Failure Detection Isolation and Recovery | |
| FDM | Frequency-Domain Multiplexing | |
| FDR | Flight Dynamics Room (at ESOC) | |
| FDS | Flight-Dynamics System | |
| FDV | Fill and Drain Valve | |
| FE (duplicate) |
Finite Element (model) | |
| FE (duplicate) |
Front End | |
| FEA | Finite-Element Analysis | |
| FEE | Front-End Electronics | |
| FeKa | Iron K_α (line) | |
| FEM | Finite Element Model | |
| FER | Frame-Error Rate | |
| FF | Full Frame | |
| FFBD | Functional Flow Block Diagram | |
| FFOS | Formation Flying Optical Sensor | |
| FFT (duplicate) |
Fast Fourier transform | |
| FFT (duplicate) |
Full Functional Test | |
| FGS | Fine Guidance Sensor | |
| FGSE | Fluidic Ground-Support Equipment | |
| FI | Finland | |
| FINREF | FINancial REForm (framework for costing of ESA activities) | |
| FIR | Facility Implementation Review | |
| FITS | Flexible Image Transport System | |
| FL | Focal Length | |
| FLL | Flux-Locked Loop | |
| FM | Flight Model | |
| FMC | FPGA Mezzanine Card | |
| FMEA | Failure Modes and Effects Analysis | |
| FMECA | Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis | |
| FMS | Fixed Metering Structure | |
| FoM | Figure of Merit | |
| FOP | Flight Operations Plan/Procedure | |
| FOP-SW | Flight Operations Software | |
| FoR | Field of Regard | |
| FOS (duplicate) |
Factor Of Safety | |
| FOS (duplicate) |
Flight Operations Ground Segment | |
| FoV | Field of View | |
| FP (duplicate) |
Final Presentation | |
| FP (duplicate) |
Focal Plane | |
| FP (duplicate) |
(Launcher) Flight Programme | |
| FPA | Focal Plane Assembly | |
| FPC | Flow-Proportional Counter | |
| FPCS | Focal-Plane Coordinate System | |
| FPGA | Field Programmable Gate Array | |
| FPM (duplicate) |
Focal-Plane Module (obsolete, now called SIM) | |
| FPM (duplicate) |
Frame-Processing Module (WFI) | |
| FPP | Focal-Plane Platform (obsolete, now called SIP) | |
| FPR | Focal-Plane Response | |
| FPS | Fine Point Slew Mode | |
| FPT | Full Performance Test | |
| FR | Final Report/Review | |
| FRF | Frequency Response Function | |
| FR-II | Faranoff-Riley (type-2) radio galaxy | |
| FRM | Fringe Reflection Metrology | |
| FRR | Flight Readiness Review | |
| FRT | Fringe-Reflection (metrology) Technique | |
| FRW | Request for Waiver | |
| FS (duplicate) |
Feasibility Study | |
| FS (duplicate) |
Flight Spare (Model) | |
| FS (duplicate) |
Fused Silica | |
| FSAS | Flat Stack Assembly Station | |
| FTA | Fault Tree Analysis | |
| FTE | Full Time Equivalent | |
| FTF | FriTioF (model) | |
| FTIR | Fourier Transform InfraRed | |
| FuMo | Functional Model | |
| FVI | Functional Verification Infrastructure | |
| FVV | Fill and Vent Valve | |
| FW | Filter Wheel | |
| FWA | Filter-Wheel Assembly | |
| FW&F | Filter Wheel and Filter | |
| FWV | Windowed Variance Filter | |
| FY | Fiscal Year | |
| G4 | GEANT4 | |
| GAPHE | Groupe AstroPhysique des Hautes Energies (Liège) | |
| GBH | Galactic Black Hole | |
| GCR | Galactic Cosmic Ray | |
| GDIR | General Design and Interface Requirements | |
| GDML | Geometry Description Markup Language | |
| GEANT | GEometry ANd Tracking | |
| GEANT4 | GEometry ANd Tracking version 4 | |
| G_ee | single-sided power spectral density | |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit | |
| GF | Geometrical Factor | |
| GIM | Galvanic Isolation Module | |
| GM | Gifford-McMahon (cooler) | |
| GMM | Geometrical Mathematical Model | |
| GMSK | Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying | |
| GMT | Greenwich Mean Time | |
| GNC | Guidance and Navigation Control | |
| GND | GrouND(ing) | |
| GO | Guest Observer | |
| GPS | Global Positioning System | |
| GRAS | GEANT4 Radiation Analysis for Space | |
| GRB | Gamma Ray Burst | |
| GRP | Giant Radio Pulse | |
| GRR | Global Reset Register | |
| GRS | Geodetic Reference System | |
| GS | Ground Segment | |
| G/S | Ground Station (also GS) | |
| GSDP | Ground Safety Data Package | |
| GSE (duplicate) |
Ground Support Equipment | |
| GSE (duplicate) |
Gyro Stellar Estimator (sometimes denoted GSTE) | |
| GSFC | Goddard Space Flight Center | |
| GSP | General Studies Program | |
| GSTP | General Support Technology Programme (ESA) | |
| G/T | (Antenna) Gain-to-noise Temperature | |
| GT | Guaranteed Time | |
| GTO (duplicate) |
Geostationary Transfer Orbit | |
| GTO (duplicate) |
Guaranteed Time Observation | |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface | |
| GW | Gravitational Wave | |
| GXB | Galactic (halo) X-ray Background | |
| H | Hyperboloid | |
| H_2O | Water | |
| H_2O_2 | Peroxide | |
| HASTR | High-Accuracy Star TRacker (sometimes denoted HA-STR) | |
| HDF5 | Hierarchical Data Format version 5 | |
| HDLC | High-level Data Link Control (protocol) | |
| HDRM | Hold Down and Release Mechanism | |
| HDRMA | HDRM Actuator | |
| HDRS | Hold Down and Release System | |
| HEAPA | High-Energy AstroPhysics Association (Japan) | |
| HEO | Highly Eccentric/Elliptical Orbit | |
| HEPA | High‐Efficiency Particulate Air (filter) | |
| HEU | Hot and Energetic Universe | |
| HEW | Half-Energy Width (refers to the Point Spread Function) | |
| HEX | HEXapod | |
| HF | High Frequency | |
| HFSE | High-Frequency Spatial Error | |
| HGA | High-Gain Antenna | |
| HICP | Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices | |
| HiREFS | High-Resolution Erect Field Spectrometer | |
| HJ | Hot Jupiter | |
| H/K | "HouseKeeping (data) | |
| HKTM | Housekeeping and Telemetry | |
| HMI | Human-Machine Interface | |
| HN | HarNess | |
| HP (duplicate) |
Heat Pipe | |
| HP (duplicate) |
High Precision neutron (model) | |
| HPD | Half-Power spot Diameter | |
| HPO | High Performance Optics (outdated, shall not be used anymore) | |
| HP-STR | High-Performance Star TRacker | |
| H/R | Height over Radius (of a disk) | |
| HR | High-Resolution (event) | |
| HRMA | High-Resolution Mirror Assembly (Chandra) | |
| HS | Heat Switch | |
| HSC (duplicate) |
Helium Sorption Cooler | |
| HSC (duplicate) |
High Speed Cutting | |
| HSIA | Hardware-Software Interaction Analysis | |
| HTR | HeaTeR | |
| HTS | High Temperature Superconductor | |
| HU | Heat Up | |
| HV-HPC | High-Voltage High-Power Command | |
| H/W | Hardware | |
| HXI | Hard X-ray Imager (Hitomi) | |
| HXT | Hard X-ray Telescope (Hitomi) | |
| HZB | Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin | |
| HZW | Half-Zero Width | |
| I | Italia | |
| I2C | Inter-Integrated Circuit (also denoted I^{2}C) | |
| IAAT | Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik - Universität Tübingen | |
| IAC | Intermediate Alignment Check | |
| IACHEC | International Astrophysical Consortium for High-Energy Calibration | |
| IAP | (Czech) Institute of Atmospheric Physics | |
| IAPS | Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali | |
| I-AR | Instrument(s) Acceptance Review | |
| IAS | Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale | |
| IASF | Istituto di Astrofisica e Fisica dello Spazio | |
| IBF | Ion-Beam Figuring | |
| IC (duplicate) |
Industrial Contract | |
| IC (duplicate) |
Instrument Chamber | |
| IC (duplicate) |
Integrated Circuit | |
| IC (duplicate) |
Inter-Calibration | |
| ICC (duplicate) |
Instrument Consortia Consolidation | |
| ICC (duplicate) |
Instrument Control Centre | |
| ICC (duplicate) |
Internal Contamination Control | |
| ICD | Interface Control Document | |
| I-CDR | Instrument(s) Critical Design Review | |
| ICE | Independent Cost Estimate | |
| ICM | Intra-Cluster Medium | |
| ICPU | Instrument Control and Power(-distribution) Unit | |
| ICS (duplicate) |
Inner Cold (Cryogenic) Shield (WFI) | |
| ICS (duplicate) |
Ion Composition Sub-system | |
| ICU | Instrument Control Unit | |
| IDL | Interactive Data Language | |
| IDM | Integrated Design Model | |
| ie | id est (in other words) | |
| IE | Instrument Efficiency | |
| IEC | International Electrical Commission | |
| IEM (duplicate) |
Instrument Electronics Module | |
| IEM (duplicate) |
Interplanetary Electron Model | |
| IF | Integration Frame | |
| I/F | InterFace | |
| IFC | InterFace Controller | |
| IFCA | Instituto de Física de CAntabria (CSIC-UC) | |
| IFOP | Instrument Flight Operations Procedures | |
| IFU | Integrated Field Unit | |
| IGM | Inter-Galactic Medium | |
| IID | Interface Identification Document | |
| IMD | IDL based software for modelling the optical properties of multilayer films | |
| IMF | Initial-Mass Function | |
| IMP | International Monitoring Platform | |
| IMU | Inertia Measurement Unit | |
| INAF | Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica | |
| INFLPR | (Romanian) National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics | |
| INS | Isolated Neutron Star | |
| INVAR | INVARiable, a particular Nickel–Iron alloy with 36% Nickel and 64% Iron (FeNi36 or 64FeNi) | |
| I-O | Inner-Outer (mirror stracks) | |
| IO | Inputs and Outputs | |
| IOC | In-Orbit Commissioning | |
| IOCR | In-Orbit Commissioning Review | |
| IP (duplicate) |
In-Plane | |
| IP (duplicate) |
Intermediate Polar | |
| IP (duplicate) |
Intersection Plane | |
| ip | Primary stack of the Inner XOU in a MM | |
| IPA | IsoPropyl Alcohol (cleaner) | |
| IPC | Industrial Policy Committee (ESA) | |
| IPCS | Inner Passive Cold (Cryogenic) Shield | |
| IPM | Integrated Progress Meeting | |
| IPR | Intellectual Property Right | |
| IPRAM | Interplanetary and Planetary Radiation Model (for human spaceflight) | |
| IPRR | Instrument(s) Preliminary Requirements Review (2018/2019) | |
| IQM | Inherent Quality of the cost Model | |
| I-QR | Instrument(s) Qualification Review | |
| IR (duplicate) |
Infra Red | |
| IR (duplicate) |
Interim Review | |
| IRAP | Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie | |
| IRB | InfraRed Background | |
| IRD | Interface Requirements Document (Definition) | |
| IRS | Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme (Stuttgart) | |
| IS | Inner Stack | |
| is | Secondary stack of the Inner XOU in a MM | |
| ISC | Instrument Science (and data) Centre | |
| ISCO | Innermost Stable Circular Orbit | |
| ISEE-3 | International Sun/Earth Explorer 3 spacecraft | |
| ISL | In-band Spurious Level | |
| ISM | Instrument Switch Mechanism | |
| ISO | International Organisation for Standardisation (Geneva, Switzerland) | |
| Isp | Specific Impulse | |
| ISR | Intermediate Status Review | |
| ISS | International Space Station | |
| ISV | Independent Software Validation | |
| ISVV | Independent Software Verification and Validation | |
| IT | Instrument Team | |
| ITAR | International Traffic In Arms Regulation (USA) | |
| ITC | Instrument Team Centre | |
| ITO | Interface Technical Officer | |
| ITP | Interface Test Plan | |
| IT/SOC | ICD Instrument Team/SOC Interface Control Document | |
| ITT | Invitation To Tender | |
| ITU | International Telecommunications Union | |
| IWF | Institut für Weltraumforschung (Graz, Austria) | |
| IWS | Instrument WorkStation | |
| IxI | Interface versus (times) Interface (diagram / matrix) | |
| IXO | International X-ray Observatory | |
| IXPE | Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (NASA) | |
| J | Japan | |
| JASRI | Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute | |
| JAXA | Japanese Aerospace eXploration Agency | |
| JD (duplicate) |
Julian Date | |
| JD (duplicate) |
Justification Document | |
| JFY | Japanese Fiscal Year | |
| JIRA | issue tracking product (not an acronym, but a truncation of Gojira, the Japanese name for Godzilla) | |
| JT | Joule-Thomson (cooler) | |
| JT2K | Joule-Thomson Two Kelvin (cooler) | |
| JT4K | Joule-Thomson 4K | |
| JTAG | Joint Test Action Group (reprogramming interface) | |
| K | Kelvin | |
| KA | acceptance (test) factor | |
| Ka | Kapton | |
| KDE | Knowledge Drift Error | |
| KDP | Key Decision Point (NASA) | |
| kE | kilo-Euro | |
| KEK | High-Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (Japan) | |
| KH | Kelvin-Helmholtz | |
| KIP | Key Inspection Point | |
| Km | model (margin) factor | |
| Kmp | margin-policy factor | |
| KO | Kick Off | |
| KOH | Potassium Hydroxide | |
| KOM | Kick-Off Meeting | |
| KOU | KOUrou ground station (French Guiana) | |
| KP (duplicate) |
Key Point | |
| KP (duplicate) |
Key Programme (Project) | |
| Kp | project (margin) factor | |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator | |
| KQ | qualification (test) factor | |
| KRE | Knowledge Reproducibility Error | |
| ks | kilo-second | |
| kSZ | kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovitch (effect) | |
| L0 | Level-0 (data) | |
| L1 (duplicate) |
First Lagrange libration point of the Earth-Moon / Sun system | |
| L1 (duplicate) |
First Large mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2020 programme (assigned to JUICE) | |
| L1 (duplicate) |
Level-1 (data) | |
| L2 (duplicate) |
Libration Point 2 (on anti Sun side of Earth) | |
| L2 (duplicate) |
Second Large mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2020 programme (assigned to Athena) | |
| L3 (duplicate) |
Level-3 (data) | |
| L3 (duplicate) |
Third Large mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2020 programme (assigned to LISA) | |
| LA | (WFI) Large Array (obsolete, now called LDA) | |
| LAM | Laser Additive Manufacturing | |
| LAN | Local Area Network | |
| LAT | Lot Acceptance Test | |
| LB | LoBe | |
| LBF | Long-Beam Facility | |
| L_bol | Bolometric Luminosity | |
| LC (duplicate) |
inductor (L) and capacitor (C) | |
| LC (duplicate) |
Load Case | |
| LCL | Latch Current Limiter | |
| LD | (WFI) Large Detector (one quadrant of the WFI LDA) | |
| LDA | (WFI) Large Detector Array | |
| LDCP | Low-Density Parity-Check (code) | |
| LDS | Laser Displacement Sensor | |
| LEAF | Large European Acoustic Facility (ESTEC) | |
| LEAS | List of ESA Approved Standards | |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode | |
| L_edd | Eddington Luminosity | |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit | |
| LEOP | Launch and Early-Orbit Phase | |
| LET | Linear Energy Transfer | |
| LFA | Lead Funding Agencies | |
| LFSE | Low-Frequency Spatial Error | |
| LG | Linear Gain | |
| LGA | Low-Gain Antenna | |
| LHEP | Low and High Energy Parameterised (model) | |
| LHP | Loop Heat Pipe | |
| LIGO | Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory | |
| LIP | LIssajous Pointing | |
| LIS | Local Interstellar Spectrum | |
| LISA | Laser Interferometer Space Antenna | |
| LISN | Line Impedance Stabilisation Network | |
| LIT | Listen-In Test | |
| LKE | L.K. Engineering | |
| LL (duplicate) |
Launch Lock | |
| LL (duplicate) |
Limit Load | |
| LLA | Launch-Lock Assembly | |
| LLBL | Low-Latitude Boundary Layer | |
| LLI | Long Lead Item | |
| LLNL | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | |
| LMCO | Lockheed Martin COrporation | |
| LMJ | Laser Micro-(water) Jet (cutting) | |
| LNA | Low-Noise Amplifier | |
| LoC | Lines of Code | |
| LoE | Letter of Endorsement | |
| LoR | Level of Resources (ESA speak for money) | |
| LoS (duplicate) |
Letter of Support | |
| LoS (duplicate) |
Line of Sight | |
| LOS | Loss Of Signal | |
| LOSF | Line-Of-Sight Frame | |
| LOSSAA | Line-of-Sight to Sun Aspect Angle | |
| LOSTF | Line-Of-Sight Target Frame | |
| L/P | Low Pressure | |
| LPA | Large Pixel Array | |
| LPTC | Large Pulse-Tube Cooler | |
| LR | Low-Resolution (event) | |
| LRR | Launch Readiness Review | |
| LS (duplicate) |
Launch(er) Segment | |
| LS (duplicate) |
Lower Section (of FMS) | |
| LSA | Launch Service Agreement | |
| LSB | Least Significant Bit | |
| LSD | Linear Spectral Density | |
| LSF | Line-Spread Function | |
| LSFE | Low Spatial-Frequency Error | |
| LSM | Line Scanning Mode | |
| LSRU | Low Shock Release Unit | |
| LT | Laser Tracker | |
| LTD | Low-Temperature Detector (conference) | |
| LTP | Long-Term Proposal (SPring-8) | |
| LURE | Laboratoire d’Utilisation du Rayonnement Électromagnétique | |
| LUT | Look-Up Table | |
| LUTGEN | LUT GENerator | |
| L/V | Launch Vehicle (also LV) | |
| LVA | Launch Vehicle Adapter | |
| LVD | Low Voltage Directive | |
| LVDS | Low-Voltage Differential Signalling | |
| LVT | Lot Validation Testing | |
| LW | Launch Window | |
| LXB | Local (bubble) X-ray Background | |
| M^2 | Excess noise in X-IFU energy resolution | |
| M55J | Ultra-high modulus carbon fibre | |
| MA (duplicate) |
Mirror Assembly | |
| MA (duplicate) |
Mirror Axis | |
| MA (duplicate) |
Mission Analysis | |
| MACS | MAssive Cluster Survey | |
| MAD | Mirror-Assembly Demonstrator | |
| MAF | Mirror-Assembly Frame | |
| MAIT | Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Test (also MAIVT) | |
| MAL | MALindi ground station (Kenya) | |
| MAM | Mirror Assembly Module | |
| MAMD | Mirror Assembly Module Demonstrator | |
| MAP | Mission Archive Plan | |
| MAR (duplicate) |
MARgin | |
| MAR (duplicate) |
Mission Adoption Review | |
| MASD | Median Axial Slope Deviation | |
| MAXI | Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image | |
| MBD | Mission Budgets Document | |
| MC (duplicate) |
Mirror Cover | |
| MC (duplicate) |
Monte Carlo | |
| MCA | Mirror-Cover Assembly | |
| MCD | Modified Condition and Decision | |
| MCEM | Mirror-Cover Ejection Mechanism | |
| MCF | Mirror Calibration Facility | |
| MCI | Mass, Centre-of-gravity, and Inertia | |
| MCM | Multi-Chip Module | |
| MCP | Mirror Calibration Plan | |
| MCR (duplicate) |
Main Control Room (at ESOC) | |
| MCR (duplicate) |
Mission Consolidation Review (2016) | |
| MCS | Mission Control System | |
| MCV | Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable | |
| MD (duplicate) |
Magnetic Diverter | |
| MD (duplicate) |
Mass Dummy | |
| MD (duplicate) |
Mirror Demonstrator | |
| MDR (duplicate) |
Mission Definition Review | |
| MDR (duplicate) |
Model Development Review | |
| MEA | Main Error Amplifier | |
| MEKAL | Rolf Mewe, Jelle Kaastra, and Duane Liedahl (atomic database and name of spectral model) | |
| MEM | Meteoroid Engineering Model | |
| MEMS | Micro Electrical Mechanical System | |
| MEUR | Million EURo | |
| MFP | Mean Free Path | |
| MFR | Mission Formulation Review (2019) | |
| MFT | Micro Finish Topographer | |
| mgmt | ManaGeMenT | |
| MGSE | Mechanical Ground Support Equipment | |
| MGU | Motor Gear Unit | |
| MHD | Magneto-Hydro Dynamics | |
| MHI | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | |
| MIABWG | Milano-IASF Athena Background Working Group | |
| MIB (duplicate) |
Minimum Impulse Bit | |
| MIB (duplicate) |
Mission Information data Base | |
| MICD | Mechanical Interface Control Drawing | |
| MIL | United States of America Department of Defence Standard | |
| MIM | Metal-Insulator-Metal | |
| MIP (duplicate) |
Mandatory Inspection Point | |
| MIP (duplicate) |
Minimum Ionising Particle | |
| MIP (duplicate) |
Movable Instrument Platform (obsolete) | |
| MIP (duplicate) |
Moveable Instrument Platform | |
| MIRD | Mission Implementation Requirements Document | |
| MIST | Mechanical Integrated Services and Technologies (GSFC) | |
| MIXS | Mercury Imaging XRay Spectrometer | |
| MJD | Modified Julian Date | |
| MKE | Mean Knowledge Error | |
| ML (duplicate) |
Machine Learning | |
| ML (duplicate) |
Multi-Layer (coating) | |
| MLA | Multi-Lateral Agreement | |
| MLC | Multi-Layer Coating (not official) | |
| MLG | MaLarGüe ground station (35-m ESA ground station in Argentina) | |
| MLI | Multi-Layer Insulation | |
| MLT | Media Lario Technologies | |
| MM | Mirror Module | |
| MMA (duplicate) |
Movable Mirror Assembly | |
| MMA (duplicate) |
Moveable Mirror Assembly | |
| MMIC | Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuit | |
| MMPDS | Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardisation | |
| MMPP | Materials, Mechanical Parts, and Processes | |
| MMU | Mass Memory Unit | |
| MN | Minutes of Meetings | |
| Mngt | Management | |
| MO | (CCSDS) Mission Operations (Services) | |
| MoA | Memorandum of Agreement | |
| MOA | Mirror Optical Axis | |
| MOC (duplicate) |
Mission Operations Centre (ESA) | |
| MOC (duplicate) |
Molecular Organic Contamination | |
| MOI (duplicate) |
Mission Operations Infrastructure | |
| MOI (duplicate) |
Moment Of Inertia (also MoI) | |
| MOIS | Mission Operations Information System | |
| MoM | Minutes of Meeting | |
| MoS | Margin of Safety | |
| MOS (duplicate) |
Metal Oxide Semiconductor | |
| MOS (duplicate) |
Mock Observing Sequence | |
| MOSFET | Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor | |
| MOT | Mock Observing Timeline | |
| MoU | Memorandum of Understanding | |
| MPCB | Materials, Mechanical Parts, and Processes Control Board | |
| MPE (duplicate) |
Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik | |
| MPE (duplicate) |
Mean Performance Error | |
| MPG | Max-Planck Gesellschaft | |
| MPG/HLL | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft/HalbLeiterLabor (semiconductor laboratory) | |
| MPLS | Multi-Protocol Label Switching | |
| MPPT | Maximum Power Point Tracker/Tracking | |
| MPS (duplicate) |
Max-Planck Society | |
| MPS (duplicate) |
Mission-Planning System | |
| MPTC | Miniature Pulse-Tube Cooler | |
| MPWG | Mission Performance Working Group | |
| MR | Medium-Resolution (event) | |
| MRD | Mission Requirements Document | |
| MRR (duplicate) |
Manufacturing Readiness Review | |
| MRR (duplicate) |
Mission Readiness Review | |
| MRT (duplicate) |
Mission Readiness Test | |
| MS (duplicate) |
(ESA) Member State | |
| MS (duplicate) |
MagnetoSheath | |
| Ms | Mega-second | |
| MS (duplicate) |
MicroSoft | |
| MS (duplicate) |
Mirror Structure | |
| MSB | Most Significant Bit | |
| MSBL | MagnetoSheath Boundary Layer | |
| MSC/NASTRAN | Software for finite-element analysis | |
| MSFC | Marshall Space Flight Center | |
| MSPS | Mega Symbols per Second | |
| MSR | Mission Selection Review | |
| MSS | Mirror SunShield | |
| MSSA | Mirror SunShield Assembly | |
| MSSDM | Mirror SunShield Deployment Mechanism | |
| MT | Mission Time | |
| MTBF | Mean Time Between Failure | |
| MTH | Mechanical-THermal (testing) | |
| MTL | Mission Time Line | |
| MTTR | Mean Time To Repair | |
| MUSD | Million US Dollar | |
| MUST | Mission Utility and Support Tools | |
| MUX | MUltipleXing (factor) | |
| MV | Multi-Variant | |
| MW | Multi-Wavelength | |
| MXS | Modulated X-ray Source | |
| N | Nominal | |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| NAST | NASA Athena Science Team | |
| NC | Non-Compliant | |
| N/C | Normally Closed | |
| NCA | Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminium | |
| NCD | Network Configuration Document | |
| NCR | Non-Conformance Report | |
| NCTS | Non-Conformance Tracking System | |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement | |
| NDIU | Network Data Interface Unit | |
| NEA (duplicate) |
Noise Equivalent Angle | |
| NEA (duplicate) |
Non-Explosive Actuator | |
| NED | NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | |
| NEP | Noise-Equivalent Power | |
| NFI | Narrow-Field Imaging | |
| NGRM | Next-Generation Radiation Monitor (ESA) | |
| NH_4OH | Ammonia Hydroxide | |
| NHXM | New Hard X-ray Mission | |
| NID | Non-Ionising Dose | |
| NIEL | Non-Ionising Energy Loss | |
| NIR | Near Infra-Red (wavelength) | |
| NIS | Network Interface System | |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology | |
| NL | NetherLands | |
| NLS | Narrow-Line Seyfert (galaxy) | |
| NM | Neutron Monitor | |
| Nm | Newton meter | |
| N/m | Newton per meter | |
| NMOS | N-type Metal-Oxide Semiconductor | |
| NNO | New NOrcia (35-m ESA ground station near Perth, Australia) | |
| NOP (duplicate) |
Network Operations Procedure | |
| NOP (duplicate) |
Nominal Operational Phase | |
| NPMC | National Project Manager Committee | |
| NPSL | NASA Parts Selection List | |
| N+R | Nominal plus Redundant | |
| NRB | Non-Conformance Review (board) | |
| NS | Neutron Star | |
| NSLS | National Synchrotron Light Source (Brookhaven National Laboratory) | |
| NTE | Not to Exceed | |
| NTR | Nothing To Report | |
| NVR | Non-Volatile Residue | |
| NXB | Non-X-ray (i.e., particle) Background | |
| OAB | Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera | |
| OAICD | Operational Archive Interface Control Document | |
| OAPA | Osservatorio Astronomico di PAlermo | |
| OAR | Open Area Ratio | |
| OAT | Off-Axis Test | |
| ObAS | Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg | |
| OBC | On-Board Computer | |
| OBCP | On-Board Control Procedure | |
| OBDH | On-Board Data Handling | |
| OBF | Optical Blocking Filter | |
| OBM | On Board Metrology | |
| OBMS | On-Board Metrology Sensor | |
| OBMT | On-Board Metrology Target | |
| OBS | On-Board Software (also OBSW) | |
| OBSM | On-Board Software Maintenance | |
| OBT | On-Board Time | |
| OCC | Operations Control Centre | |
| OCD | Operations Concept Document | |
| OCDT | Open Concurrent Design Tool | |
| OCM | Orbit-Control Manoeuvre | |
| OCP | Optics Calibration Plan | |
| OCR | Operations Concept trade-off Report | |
| OCS | Outer Cold Shield (WFI) | |
| OD | Overall Diameter | |
| ODF | Observation Data File (XMM-Newton) | |
| ODI | Open Data Interface | |
| OF | Obscuration Factor | |
| OFDR | Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry | |
| OFHC | Oxygen-Free High-conductivity Copper | |
| OGB | Out Gassing Baffle | |
| OGS | Operational Ground Segment | |
| OGSE | Operations(Optical) Ground Support Equipment | |
| OH | Optical Head | |
| OIRD | Operations Interface Requirements Document | |
| OM | Optics Module | |
| OMA | Opto-Mechanical Assembly | |
| OMADA | Opto-Mechanical And Detector Assembly | |
| OMC | On-Model Centroid | |
| OMF | On-board Metrology Frame | |
| OOF | Out Of Focus | |
| OoM | Order of Magnitude | |
| OOP | Out-Of-Plane | |
| op | Primary stack of the Outer XOU in a MM | |
| OPD | Optical Path Difference | |
| ORATOS | ORbit and ATtitude Operations System | |
| ORR | Operational Readiness Review | |
| OS | Outer Stack | |
| os | Secondary stack of the Outer XOU in a MM | |
| OSG (duplicate) |
Observatory Science Goal | |
| OSG (duplicate) |
Observing Sequence Generator (generates observing sequence from MOP) | |
| OSR | Optical Solar Reflector | |
| OT | Open Time | |
| OTAC | Observation Time Allocation Committee | |
| OTF | Optical Transfer Function | |
| OTP | Operations Training Plan | |
| OTS | Off-The-Shelf (component) | |
| OU | Open University | |
| OUTER | Outer-radius SPO TDA | |
| OV | Outer Vessel | |
| P (duplicate) |
Paraboloid | |
| P (duplicate) |
Portugal (sometimes erroneously used for Poland) | |
| PA | Product Assurance | |
| PAC | PArticulate Contamination | |
| PaCSXI | Passive Cryogenic SIM/X-IFU Interface (working group) | |
| PAD | Parts Approval Document | |
| PAL | Project Authorisation Letter (NASA) | |
| PAMELA | Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics | |
| PAN | Penetrating particle ANalyser | |
| PANTER | PAntolsky Neuried TEstanlage Röntgen | |
| PAP | Product Assurance Plan | |
| PAR | Product Assurance Report | |
| PARD | Product Assurance (and safety) Requirements Document | |
| PARS | Product Assurance Requirements Specification | |
| PAU | Pattern Analyser Unit | |
| PB | Pencil Beam | |
| PBH | Primordial Black Hole | |
| P_c | confidence level | |
| PC | Pre-Cooling (point) | |
| PCA | Principal Component Analysis | |
| PCB (duplicate) |
Parts Control Board | |
| PCB (duplicate) |
Printed Circuit Board | |
| PCDU | Power conditioning and distribution unit | |
| PCLA | Preliminary Coupled-Load Analysis | |
| PCM (duplicate) |
Power Conditioning Module | |
| PCM (duplicate) |
Pressurised Cargo Module | |
| PCN | Process Change Notice | |
| PCOS | Physics of the COSmos (NASA) | |
| PCP | Programmatic and Cost (review) Panel | |
| PCS (duplicate) |
Physical Coding Sublayer | |
| PCS (duplicate) |
Primary Coordinate System | |
| PCU | Pixel Correction Unit | |
| PDA | PolyDopAmine | |
| PDCU | Power Distribution Control Unit | |
| PDD | Payload Definition/Description Document | |
| PDE | Performance Drift Error | |
| Portable Document Format (Adobe Acrobat) | ||
| PDHU (duplicate) |
Payload and Data Handling Unit | |
| PDHU (duplicate) |
Payload Data-Handling Unit | |
| PDR | Preliminary Design Review | |
| PDU | Power Distribution Unit | |
| PEA | Project Experiment Arrangement (PRODEX) | |
| PEC | Pointing-Error Contributor | |
| P_ee | linear spectral density | |
| PEE | Pointing-Error Engineering | |
| PEEH | Pointing Error Engineering Handbook | |
| PEEK | PolyEther Ether Ketone (plastic/polymer) | |
| PEET | Pointing Error Engineering Tool | |
| PEPS | Power system modelling tool developed by ESA TEC-EP | |
| PER | Process and Equipment Review | |
| PES | Pointing-Error Source | |
| PET | Photon-Event Table | |
| P/F (duplicate) |
Pass/Fail | |
| P/F (duplicate) |
PlatForm (also PF) | |
| PFM | Proto-Flight Model | |
| PGSE | Pressure Ground Support Equipment | |
| P-H | Paraboloid-Hyperboloid | |
| Ph | Phase | |
| PH | Pulse Height | |
| PHA | Pulse Height Amplitude | |
| PhAx | Phase-A eXtension | |
| PHU | Partial Heat Up | |
| PI (duplicate) |
Photon Ionisation | |
| PI (duplicate) |
Polyimide | |
| PI (duplicate) |
Principal Investigator | |
| PI (duplicate) |
Pulse Integral | |
| PID (duplicate) |
Process Identification Document | |
| PID (duplicate) |
Proportional Integral Derivative | |
| PIF | Proton Irradiation Facility (at PSI) | |
| PIND | Particle Impact Noise Detection | |
| PIXE | Particle-Induced X-ray Emission | |
| P/L | PayLoad (also PL) | |
| PLA | PayLoad Adaptor | |
| PLF (duplicate) |
PayLoad Fairing | |
| PLF (duplicate) |
PLatForm | |
| PLP | Pre-Launch Phase | |
| PM (duplicate) |
Progress Meeting | |
| PM (duplicate) |
Project Manager | |
| PMD | Propellant Management Device | |
| PMF | Probability Mass Function | |
| PMOS | P-type Metal-Oxide Semiconductor | |
| PMP | Parts, Materials, and Processes | |
| PN | Pseudo-Noise (ranging) | |
| PO (duplicate) |
Pressure Oscillation | |
| PO (duplicate) |
Product Owner | |
| PoC | Point of Contact | |
| POE | Project Owned Events | |
| POL | Point-Of-Load | |
| POP | Post-Operations Phase | |
| POPS | Post-OPerationS Phase | |
| POS | Preferred Observation Sequence | |
| PPBE | Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (NASA) | |
| ppm | parts per million | |
| PPR | Performance and Process Review | |
| PPRR | Payload PRR | |
| PPS | Pulse Per Second | |
| ppt | parts per trillion | |
| PR | Preliminary Review | |
| PR1 | Progress Review #1 | |
| PRD (duplicate) |
Project Reference Database | |
| PRD (duplicate) |
(X-IFU) Performance Requirements Document (obsolete) | |
| PRE (duplicate) |
Performance Reproducibility Error | |
| PRE (duplicate) |
Programmable Real-time Emulator | |
| PRECO | PRE-COmpound Model | |
| PRESPO | PReparation of the Engineering model of the SPO optics (continuation of SPOHO) | |
| ProdEx | PROgramme de Développement d'Expériences scientifiques (ESA) | |
| PRR | Preliminary Requirements Review | |
| PS (duplicate) |
Plasma Sheet | |
| P-S | Primary-Secondary (mirror stacks) | |
| PS (duplicate) |
Primary Structure | |
| PS (duplicate) |
Project Scientist | |
| PSBL | Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer | |
| PSC | Partner Science Centre | |
| PSD | Power Spectral Density | |
| PSF (duplicate) |
Planning Skeleton File | |
| PSF (duplicate) |
Point Spread Function | |
| PSI | Paul Scherrer Institute | |
| PSO | Polished Silicon Optics | |
| PSPC | Position Sensitive Proportional Counter | |
| PSR | Project Support Room (at ESOC) | |
| PSU | Power Supply Unit | |
| PT (duplicate) |
Product Tree | |
| PT (duplicate) |
Pulse Tube | |
| PTB | Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt | |
| PTC | Pulse-Tube Cooler | |
| PTF | Palomar Transient Factory | |
| PTFE | PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (Teflon) | |
| PTR | Post Test Review | |
| PU | Partner User (SPring-8) | |
| PUS | Packet Utilisation Standard/Service(s) | |
| p-v | peak-to-valley | |
| PV | Performance Verification | |
| PVP | Performance Verification Phase | |
| PW | Plain Weave | |
| PWN | Pulsar-Wind Nebula | |
| PWS | Plain Weave Spread | |
| Q | Qualification (testing) | |
| QA | Quality Assurance | |
| QCI | Quality Conformance Inspection | |
| QCM | Quartz Crystal Microbalance | |
| QDR | Quick-Dump Rinse | |
| QE | Quantum Efficiency | |
| QGS | Quark Gluon String (model) | |
| QIV | Quality of the Input Values | |
| QL | Qualification Load | |
| QLA | Quick-Look Analysis | |
| QM | Qualification Model | |
| QML | Qualified Manufacturers List | |
| QR | Qualification Review | |
| QRR | Qualification Review Report | |
| QSL (duplicate) |
Qualification Status List | |
| QSL (duplicate) |
Quasi-Static Load | |
| R (duplicate) |
Redundant | |
| R (duplicate) |
Resistor | |
| R (duplicate) |
Review (of design) | |
| R1500 | Outer-radius mirror module | |
| R200 | Radius at which the mean mass density exceeds the critical density by a factor of 200 | |
| R277 | Inner-radius mirror module | |
| R500 | Radius at which the mean mass density exceeds the critical density by a factor of 500 | |
| R737 | Middle-radius mirror module | |
| RACI | Responsible / Accountable / Consulted / Informed (matrix) | |
| RADLAT | RADiation Lot Acceptance Test | |
| RAL | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory | |
| RAM | Random-Access Memory | |
| RaMCaF | Rainwater Memorial Calibration Facility | |
| RAMS | Reliability Availability Maintainability and Safety | |
| RAS | Rotating Anode Source | |
| RASS | ROSAT All Sky Survey | |
| RB (duplicate) |
Red Book | |
| RB (duplicate) |
Requirements Baseline | |
| RC | Resistor Capacitor | |
| RCA | Radio Corporation of America (laboratories) | |
| RCS | Reaction Control (Sub-)system | |
| RD | Reference Document | |
| R&D | Research and Development | |
| RDM | Radiation Design Margin | |
| RE | Radiated Emission/Emissivity | |
| REL | (SEPEM) Reference Event List | |
| RF | Radio Frequency | |
| RFC | Radio Frequency Compatibility | |
| RFCT | Radio Frequency Compatibility Test | |
| RFD | Request For Deviation | |
| RFDU | Radio Frequency Distribution Unit | |
| RFI | Request For Information | |
| RFQ | Request For Quotation | |
| RFW | Request For Waiver | |
| Rg | Gravitational (Schwarzschild) radius | |
| RH | Relative Humidity | |
| RHA | Radiation Hardness Assurance | |
| RID | Review Item Discrepancy | |
| RIKEN | Rikagaku Kenkyūsho (research institute in Japan) | |
| RIU | Remote Instrument Unit | |
| RJ | Rotary Joint | |
| RJF | Requirements Justification File | |
| RKE | Relative Knowledge Error | |
| RMAP | Remote Memory Access Protocol | |
| RMF | Redistribution (Response) Matrix File | |
| RML | Recovered Mass Loss | |
| RMP | Risk Management Plan | |
| RMS | Root Mean Square | |
| RMU | Rate Measurement Unit | |
| RMXP | Rotation-powered Millisecond X-ray Pulsar | |
| R_n | normal Resistance | |
| RN | Recurrent Nova | |
| RNG | RaNGing | |
| RO | Reverse Osmosis | |
| ROM (duplicate) |
Read-Only Memory | |
| ROM (duplicate) |
Rough Order of Magnitude | |
| RP | Random Process | |
| RPB | RTU Power Board | |
| RPE | Relative Performance Error | |
| RPSD | Root Power Spectral Density | |
| RqR | Requirements Review | |
| RR | Readiness Review | |
| RS (duplicate) |
Radiative Susceptibility | |
| RS (duplicate) |
Raster Scan | |
| RS (duplicate) |
Reed-Solomon | |
| RS485 | Recommended Standard 485 | |
| Rsh | shunt Resistor | |
| RSP | ReSPonse (file) | |
| RSS | Root Sum Square/Squaring | |
| RST | (Marangoni) Ring-Tread System (dryer) | |
| RSU | Read-Shutter Unit | |
| RT (duplicate) |
Radiative Transfer | |
| RT (duplicate) |
Ray Tracing | |
| RT (duplicate) |
Real-Time | |
| RT (duplicate) |
Remote Terminal | |
| RT (duplicate) |
Room Temperature | |
| RTD | Reference Telescope Design/Document | |
| RTE | Real-time Emulator | |
| RTG4 | Reprogrammable, radiation-tolerant FPGA from Microsemi | |
| rtHz | square root of Hertz | |
| RTN | ReTurN | |
| RTPU | Remote Thermal and Power Unit | |
| RTS | Rotating Target Source | |
| RTU | Remote Instrument Unit | |
| RV | Random Variable | |
| RVT | Radiation Verification Testing | |
| RW | Reaction Wheel | |
| RWA | Reaction-Wheel Assembly | |
| RWB | Reaction Wheel Bias | |
| RWE | Reaction-Wheel Electronics | |
| Rx | Rotation around the x-axis | |
| RXTE | Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer | |
| Ry | Rotation around the y-axis | |
| Rz | Rotation around the z-axis | |
| S | Sweden | |
| S3R | Sequential Switching Shunt Regulator | |
| SA (duplicate) |
Solar Array | |
| SA (duplicate) |
Sun Acquisition | |
| SAA | Solar-Aspect Angle | |
| SAC | Self Anti-Coincidence | |
| SADE | Solar-Array Drive Electronics | |
| SADM | Solar-Array Drive (Deployment) Mechanism | |
| SADS | Solar Array Deployment System | |
| SAICD | Science Archive Interface Control Document | |
| SAOM | Solar-Array Orientation Mechanism | |
| SAP | Science Activity Plan | |
| SAS | Sun-Acquisition Sensor | |
| SAST | SKA-Athena Synergy Team | |
| SAT | Site Acceptance Test | |
| S/B | Signal to Background (ratio) | |
| SB | Super Bubble | |
| SBT | Service des Basses Températures | |
| S/C | SpaceCraft (also denoted SC) | |
| SC (duplicate) |
SpaceCraft (also denoted S/C) | |
| SC (duplicate) |
Steering Committee | |
| SCC | Stress Corrosion Cracking | |
| SCCM | Standard Cubic Centimeters per Minute | |
| SCF | Software Configuration File | |
| SCI | SCIence Directorate (of ESA) | |
| SCIOBJ | SCIence OBJective | |
| SciRD | Science Requirements Document | |
| SCJ | Science Council of Japan | |
| SCOM | SCience Operations Manager | |
| SCRACS | SpaceCraft Reference Attitude Coordinate System | |
| SCRAS | Spacecraft Reference Attitude Coordinate System | |
| SCSB | Space Components Steering Board | |
| SD (duplicate) |
Single Degenerate | |
| SD (duplicate) |
Space Debris | |
| SD (duplicate) |
Stealth Dicing | |
| SDC | Science Data Centre | |
| SDD | Silicon Drift Detector | |
| SDE | Software Development Environment | |
| SDF | System Design File | |
| SDMP | Space-Debris Management/Mitigation Plan | |
| SDP | Science Demonstration Phase | |
| SDPD | SOC Data Products Definition Document | |
| SDPT | Science Data Processing Team | |
| SDR | Software Design Review | |
| SDS | Science Data Server (at ESOC) | |
| SEB (duplicate) |
Single-Event Burn-out | |
| SEB (duplicate) |
System Engineering Board | |
| SED | Spectral Energy Distribution | |
| SEDR | Single-Event Dielectric Rupture | |
| SEE | Single-Event Effect | |
| SEFI | Single-Event Functional Interrupt | |
| SEGR | Single-Event Gate Rupture | |
| SEGU | Software Engineering Guidelines for external Users | |
| SEL (duplicate) |
Single-Event Latch-up | |
| SEL (duplicate) |
Sun-Earth Libration (point) | |
| SEL1 | Sun-Earth Lagrange/Libration point 1 | |
| SEL2 | Sun-Earth Lagrange/Libration Point 2 | |
| SEP (duplicate) |
Soft-Energy Proton | |
| SEP (duplicate) |
Solar Energetic Particle (event) | |
| SEP (duplicate) |
System Engineering Plan | |
| SEPEM | Solar Energetic Particle Environment Modelling | |
| SEPP | Science Exploitation and Preservation Platform | |
| SES | Sun-Earth-Satellite/Spacecraft (angle) | |
| SET | Single-Event Transient | |
| SEU | Single-Event Upset | |
| SF | Source Follow (readout mode) | |
| SFR | Star-Forming Region | |
| SFT (duplicate) |
Short Functional Test | |
| SFT (duplicate) |
System Functional Test | |
| SG | Science Goal | |
| SGD | Soft Gamma-ray Detector (Hitomi) | |
| SGICD | Space-to-Ground Interface Control Document | |
| SGO | Slumped-Glass Optics | |
| SGS | Science Ground Segment | |
| SH | Sun Hold | |
| SI (duplicate) |
International System (of units) | |
| Si | Silicon | |
| SI (duplicate) |
Single Issue | |
| SIB | Science Instruments Bench (for instance without radiators) | |
| sic | sic erat scriptum (thus was it written) | |
| SiC | Silicon-Carbide | |
| SICO | Science Impact of COst saving-options exercise (CORE exercise at X-IFU level) | |
| SIM | Science Instruments Module | |
| SIMPOSiuM | SIMulation of Pore OpticS and Modeling | |
| SIMPUT | SIMulation inPUT (for SIXTE) | |
| SIP (duplicate) |
Science Implementation Plan | |
| SIP (duplicate) |
Science Instruments Platform | |
| SIRD | Science Implementation Requirements Document | |
| SIRENA | Software IFCA for Reconstruction of EveNts for Athena X-IFU | |
| SIS | Satellite Interface Simulator | |
| SISO | Single-Input, Single-Output | |
| SITU | Sci(ence)-op(eration)s technical Information Technology Unit (ESAC) | |
| SIXTE | SImulation of X-ray TElescopes | |
| S-K | Sulphur K (line) | |
| SKA | Square-Kilometre Array | |
| SKM | Station Keeping Manoeuvre | |
| SLAC | Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (now known as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) | |
| SLI | Single Layer Insulation | |
| SM | Structural Model | |
| SMAC | company in the field of shock and vibration control | |
| SMBH | Super Massive Black Hole | |
| SMD | Study Management Document | |
| SME | Small or Medium(-sized) Enterprise | |
| SMP (duplicate) |
Science Management Plan | |
| SMP (duplicate) |
Study Management Plan (obsolete, superseded by Study Management Document) | |
| SN (duplicate) |
Science Nugget (ACO) | |
| SN (duplicate) |
SuperNova | |
| SNR (duplicate) |
Signal-to-Noise Ratio | |
| SNR (duplicate) |
SuperNova Remnant | |
| SNR (duplicate) |
Surface Normal Rotation (monochromator) | |
| SOAD | Science Operations Assumptions (Agreements) Document | |
| SOC | Science Operations Centre (ESA) | |
| SoC (duplicate) |
State of Charge | |
| SoC (duplicate) |
Status of Compliance | |
| SOCCI | Science Operations Configuration Control Infrastructure | |
| SOCD | Science Operations Concept Document | |
| SOHO | SOlar Heliospheric Observatory | |
| SOIA | Science Operations Implementation Agreement | |
| SOIICD | SOC Internal Interface Control Document | |
| SOLEIL | Source Optimisée de Lumière d’Énergie Intermédiaire du LURE | |
| SOM | Spacecraft Operations Manager | |
| SOPL | Science Operations Plan | |
| SOPR | Science Operations Procedures | |
| SOPTR | Science Operations Procedures Test Report | |
| SOPTS | Science Operations Procedures Test Specification | |
| SOVT | System Operations Validation Test | |
| SoW | Statement of Work | |
| SOWG | Science Operations Working Group | |
| SP (duplicate) |
Soft Proton (from the Sun) | |
| SP (duplicate) |
Stopping Power | |
| SPA (duplicate) |
Slice Pattern Analyser | |
| SPA (duplicate) |
Small Pixel Array | |
| SpaCon | Spacecraft Controller (also SPACON) | |
| SPC | Science Programme Committee (ESA) | |
| SPE | Solar Particle Event | |
| SPENVIS | SPace ENVIronment, effects, and education System | |
| SPEX | SPEctral X-ray (and UV modelling and analysis tool) | |
| SPF | Single Point Failure | |
| SPI (duplicate) |
Star-Planet Interaction | |
| SPIRIT | Silicon Pore Inner RadIus Tender (Inner-radius SPO TDA) | |
| SPM (duplicate) |
Science Products Module (WFI) | |
| SPM (duplicate) |
Soft-Proton Monitor | |
| SPO | Silicon Pore Optics | |
| SPORT (duplicate) |
Silicon Pore Optics Ray-tracing Tool | |
| SPORT (duplicate) |
Silicon-Pore-Optics Rugidisation (and environmental) Test(ing activity) | |
| SPR | Software Problem Report | |
| SPring-8 | Super Photon ring-8 GeV | |
| SPW | SpaceWire | |
| SpW | Space Wire (bus protocol) | |
| SQR | Simulator Qualification Review | |
| SQUID (duplicate) |
Semiconducting Quantum Interface Device | |
| SQUID (duplicate) |
Superconducting QUantum Interference Device | |
| SR | Status Review | |
| SR1 | Status Review number 1 | |
| SR2 | Status Review number 2 | |
| SRD (duplicate) |
SC Requirements Document | |
| SRD (duplicate) |
Spacecraft Requirements Document | |
| SRD (duplicate) |
System Requirements Document | |
| SRE | Science and Robotic Exploration directorate (obsolete, now called SCI) | |
| SREM | Standard Radiation Environment Monitor | |
| SRF | Software Reuse File | |
| SRG | Spectrum - Roentgen - Gamma | |
| SRIM | Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter | |
| SRON | Stichting RuimteOnderzoek Nederland (Netherlands Institute for Space Research) | |
| SRP | Solar Radiation Pressure | |
| SRR | Systems Requirements Review | |
| SRS | Shock Response Spectrum | |
| SS (duplicate) |
Single Scattering | |
| S/S (duplicate) |
SpreadSheet | |
| S/S (duplicate) |
Sub-System | |
| SS (duplicate) |
Sub-System | |
| SSAC | Space Science Advisory Committee (ESA) | |
| SSC (duplicate) |
Senior Survey Committee (for ESA's L-class missions) | |
| SSC (duplicate) |
Synchrotron Self Compton | |
| SSCE | Sun-SpaceCraft-Earth (angle) | |
| SSD | Solid-State Detector | |
| SSDE | Sun Shield Drive Electronics | |
| SSDM | Sun Shield Deployment Mechanism | |
| SSEWG | Solar-System Exploration Working Group (ESA) | |
| SSM | Second Surface Mirror | |
| SSS | Super-Soft (X-ray) Source | |
| SST (duplicate) |
Science Study Team | |
| SST (duplicate) |
Solid-State Telescope | |
| SSTR | Science Star TRacker | |
| ST (duplicate) |
Science Team | |
| ST (duplicate) |
Specification Tree | |
| STA | STAbility | |
| STAR | Space Technology and Astrophysics Research (Liège) | |
| STC (duplicate) |
(Ground) STation Computer | |
| STC (duplicate) |
Single Threshold Processing (pulse detection) | |
| STDBY | STanD BYe | |
| STDM | Spacecraft Trajectory Data Message | |
| STEP | Standard for the Exchange of Product Data | |
| STFC | Science and Technology Facilities Council | |
| STI | Supra-Thermal Ion | |
| STM | Structural Thermal Model | |
| STOP | Structural, Thermal, and Optical Performance | |
| STR (duplicate) |
Star TRacker | |
| STR (duplicate) |
STRucture | |
| STT (duplicate) |
Science Topic Team | |
| STT (duplicate) |
STar Tracker | |
| SuDD | Subsystems Design Document | |
| SUM | Software User Manual | |
| SUTR | System User Test Report | |
| SUTS | System User Test Specification | |
| SVF | Software Validation Facility | |
| SVM | SerVice Module | |
| SVS | Spacecraft Venting Sub-system | |
| SVT | System Validation Test | |
| SVVP | Software Validation and Verification Plan | |
| SW (duplicate) |
Software | |
| SW (duplicate) |
Solar Wind | |
| SWCX | Solar Wind Charge eXchange | |
| SWG | Science Working Group | |
| SWP | Synergy White Paper | |
| SWR | SpaceWire Router | |
| SWT | Science Working Team | |
| SXI | Soft-X-ray Image (Hitomi) | |
| SXRB | Soft X-Ray Background | |
| SXS | Soft-X-ray Spectrometer (Hitomi) | |
| SXT | Soft-X-ray Telescope (Hitomi) | |
| SZ | Sunyaev-Zeldovitch (effect) | |
| T0 | Launch | |
| T | Test | |
| TAA | Technical Assistance Agreement | |
| TAC | Time Allocation Committee | |
| TAI (duplicate) |
International Atomic Time | |
| TAI (duplicate) |
Time Atomic International | |
| TAM | Transient Analysis Module (SPM/WFI) | |
| TAS-F | Thales Alenia Space France | |
| TAS-I | Thales Alenia Space Italy | |
| TB | Thermal Balance | |
| TBC | To Be Confirmed | |
| TBD | To Be Defined | |
| TBS | To Be Specified | |
| TBW | To Be Written | |
| TC (duplicate) |
Telecommand(ing) | |
| TC (duplicate) |
Thermal Cycling | |
| TCB | Barycentric Coordinate Time | |
| TCI | Technology Conformance Inspection | |
| TCM (duplicate) |
Trajectory (Transfer) Correction (Control) Manoeuvre | |
| TCM (duplicate) |
Transfer Correction Manoeuvre | |
| TCS | Thermal-Control Sub-system | |
| TCWG | Telescope Calibration Working Group | |
| TD | Telescope Demonstrator | |
| TDA (duplicate) |
Technology Demonstrator (Development) Activity | |
| TDA (duplicate) |
Technology Development Activity | |
| TDB | Barycentric Dynamical Time | |
| TDM | Time-Domain Multiplexing | |
| TDP (duplicate) |
Technical Data Package | |
| TDP (duplicate) |
Technology Development Plan | |
| Te2v | Teledyne e2v technologies | |
| TEB | Tender Evaluation Board | |
| TEC | TEChnical Directorate (of ESA) | |
| TEC-EES | space Environments and Effects Section in ESA's TEChnical Directorate | |
| TECNET | TEChnology NETwork (ESA) | |
| TED | Thermo-Elastic Displacement/Distortion | |
| TES | Transition Edge Sensor | |
| TF (duplicate) |
"Thermal Filter (obsolete | |
| TF (duplicate) |
Transfer Function | |
| TFA | Thin Filter Assembly | |
| TGT | Thermal Gradient Test | |
| THESEUS | Transient High-Energy Sky and Early-Universe Surveyor | |
| THF0 | THermal Filter 0K (XIFU) | |
| THF | Thermal Filter (replaces TF) | |
| THR | Thruster | |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| TiAl6V4 | Titanium-Aluminium alloy | |
| TID | Total Ionising Dose | |
| TIDL | Total Ionising Dose Level | |
| TIDS | Total Ionising Dose Sensitivity | |
| TIM | Technical Interface Meeting (ESA-NASA) | |
| TLA | Thermal Link Assembly | |
| TLM | TeLeMetry | |
| TM | Telemetry | |
| TMD | Tuned (Tunable) Mass Damper | |
| TML | Total Mass Loss | |
| TMM | Thermal Mathematical Model | |
| TN (duplicate) |
Technical Note | |
| TN (duplicate) |
Technical Nugget (ACO) | |
| TNID | Total Non-Ionising Dose | |
| TNIDL | Total Non-Ionising Dose Level | |
| TNIDS | Total Non-Ionising Dose Sensitivity | |
| TNO | Technical NOte | |
| TO | Technical Officer | |
| T/O | Trade-Off | |
| TOC (duplicate) |
Table of Contents | |
| TOC (duplicate) |
Total Organic Carbon | |
| ToF | Time of Flight | |
| ToO | Target of Opportunity | |
| TP (duplicate) |
Technical Panel | |
| TP (duplicate) |
Technology Plan | |
| TP (duplicate) |
Test Port | |
| TP (duplicate) |
Topical Panel | |
| TP (duplicate) |
Transfer Phase | |
| TPA | Telescope Performance Assessment | |
| TPC | Topical Panel Chair | |
| TPH | Thermometry and Power Harness (for Cryocoolers) | |
| TQCM | Temperature-controlled Quartz Crystal Microbalance | |
| TR | Test Report | |
| TRA | Technology Readiness Assessment | |
| TRB | Test Review Board | |
| TRD (duplicate) |
Technical Requirements Document | |
| TRD (duplicate) |
Telescope Reference Design | |
| TRD (duplicate) |
Test Requirements Document | |
| TRL | Technology Readiness Level | |
| TRoPIC | single photon counting CCD camera, eROSITA prototype camera | |
| TRP (duplicate) |
Technology Research Program | |
| TRP (duplicate) |
Temperature Reference Point | |
| TRR | Test Readiness Review | |
| TRS | Technical Requirement Specification | |
| TRSL | Technology Readiness Status List | |
| TS | Technical Specification | |
| TSTR | Transfer Star TRacker | |
| tSZ | thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovitch (effect) | |
| TT | Terrestrial Time | |
| TTC | Telemetry and TeleCommand | |
| TT&C | Telemetry, Tracking, and Command(ing) | |
| TTV | Total Thickness Variation | |
| TV | Thermal Vacuum | |
| TVAC | Thermal-VACuum (test / chamber) | |
| TV/TC | Thermal Vacuum/Thermal Cycling | |
| TWG | Telescope Working Group | |
| TWT | Traveling Wave Tube | |
| TWTA | Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier | |
| Tx | Translation along the x-axis | |
| Ty | Translation along the y-axis | |
| Tz | Translation along the z-axis | |
| UC | Use Case | |
| UFO | Ultra-Fast Outflow | |
| UG | University of Geneva | |
| UK | United Kingdom | |
| UKSA | United Kingdom Space Agency | |
| UL | University of Leicester | |
| ULPA | Ultra-Low-Particle Air (filter) | |
| ULX | Ultra-Luminous X-ray (source) | |
| um | micrometer | |
| UM | User Manual | |
| UniPa | University of Palermo | |
| URD | User Requirements Document | |
| US (duplicate) |
United States (of America) | |
| US (duplicate) |
Upper Section (of FMS) | |
| USD | United States Dollar | |
| UTC (duplicate) |
Universal Coordinated Time | |
| UTC (duplicate) |
Universal Time Coordinated | |
| uTCA | micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (connector) | |
| UV | Ultra-Violet | |
| uVib | micro Vibrations | |
| UVOB | Ultra-Violet Optical Bench | |
| V | Volt | |
| VBQC | Vacuum Balance Quartz Crystal | |
| VCB | Verification Control Board | |
| VCD | Verification Control Document | |
| VCDM | Verification Control Document and Matrix | |
| VCM (duplicate) |
Verification Control Matrix | |
| VCM (duplicate) |
Volatile Condensable Material | |
| VDD | Drain-to-Drain Voltage | |
| VEM | Viscous-Elastic Material | |
| VERITAS | VErsatile Readout based on Integrated Trapezoidal Analogue Shapers | |
| VF (duplicate) |
Vignetting Function | |
| VF (duplicate) |
Vignetting Function (Vignetting Factor) | |
| VG | ViewGraph | |
| V/I | Voltage and/or current | |
| VIS (duplicate) |
Vibration Isolation Sub-system | |
| VIS (duplicate) |
VISible (wavelength) | |
| VLM | Very Low-Mass (star) | |
| VM | Verification Matrix | |
| VO | Virtual Observatory | |
| VRR | Verification Readiness Review | |
| VSUB | Back-gate bias | |
| VTT | Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus (Finland's State Technical Research Centre) | |
| V&V | Verification and Validation | |
| W (duplicate) |
Watt | |
| W (duplicate) |
Window (mode) | |
| W1 | Wolter-1 (design) | |
| WA | Wolter(-1) Athena | |
| WAN | Wide Area Network | |
| WBS | Work Breakdown Structure | |
| WCA | Worst-Case Analysis | |
| WCPE | Worst Case Potential Effect | |
| WD | White Dwarf | |
| WDA | WFI Data Analysis (software) | |
| WDE | Wheel Drive Electronics | |
| WEDM | Wire(-cut) Electrostatic Discharge Machining | |
| WFEE (duplicate) |
Warm Front-End Electronics | |
| WFI | Wide-Field Imager | |
| WFOIS | Wide-Field Optical/Infrared Surveyors | |
| WFR | Weibull Failure Rate | |
| WG | Working Group | |
| WGS | World Geodetic System | |
| WHIM | Warm-Hot Inter-galactic Medium | |
| W-I | Wolter telescope of type I | |
| WISC | WFI Instrument Science (and data) Centre (also W-ISC) | |
| WITGS | WFI Instrument Ground Segment | |
| WM | Windowed Mean | |
| WMS | Windowed Mean Stability | |
| WOLTER | Mid-radius SPO TDA | |
| WP (duplicate) |
White Paper | |
| WP (duplicate) |
Work Package | |
| WPD | Work Package Description | |
| WPM | Work Package Manager | |
| WPR | Weighted Particle Rate | |
| WPS | Work Package Structure | |
| W-S | Wolter-Schwarzschild | |
| WSAS | WFI Science Analysis | |
| WSB | Weak Stability Boundary | |
| WSS | Warm Support Structure | |
| WST | WFI Science Team | |
| XARM | "X-ray Astronomy Recovery (Replacement) Mission (“Hitomi-2”) | |
| XCaT | X-IFU Calibration Team | |
| XCM | X-IFU Consortium Meeting | |
| XCMT | X-IFU Consortium Management Team | |
| XCoB | X-IFU Consortium Board | |
| X-COP | XMM-Newton Cluster Outskirts Project | |
| XDA | X-IFU Data Analysis (software) | |
| XDIN | X-ray Dim Isolated Neutron (star) | |
| XDS | X-ray Detector System | |
| XEUS | X-ray Evolving-Universe Spectroscopy (obsolete) | |
| X-IFU | X-Ray Integrated Field Unit | |
| X-ISC | X-IFU Instrument and Science (data) Centre | |
| XISC | X-IFU Instrument Science Centre | |
| XMM | X-ray Multi Mirror Mission | |
| XMS | X-ray Micro-calorimeter Spectrometer (obsolete) | |
| XOAT | X-ray Optical Assembly Tool (stacking robot) | |
| XOU | X-ray Optical Unit | |
| XPBF | X-ray Pencil-Beam Facility (at PTB) | |
| XRB | X-Ray Binary | |
| XRCF | "X-Ray and Cryogenic Facility (at MSFC | |
| XRR | X-ray Reflectivity (Reflectometry) | |
| XRS (duplicate) |
X-Ray Scattering | |
| XRS (duplicate) |
X-Ray Source | |
| XRTG4 | X-Ray Tracer based on Geant-4 | |
| XSA | XMM-Newton Science Archive | |
| XSAT | X-IFU Science Advisory Team | |
| XSS | X-ray Source System | |
| XTA | X-ray Tube Assembly | |
| YSH-70A | Ultra-high modulus composite | |
| YSO | Young Stellar Object | |
| z | redshift | |
| µV | micro-Vibration | |
| MOP |
Mock Observing/Observation Plan (to avoid confusion with time sequences, better to use MOL) |
|
| MOL |
Mock Observing/Observation List (preferred over MOP as this is not a plan but a list without any order) |
|
| OHB |
Orbitale Hochtechnologie Bremen (formerly TAS) |
|
| TAS |
Thales Alenia Space (now OHB) |
|
| DARWISH |
Degraded Angular Resolution WFI Innovative Science Heralding (Task Force studying impact of 10"HEW) |
|
| CADU |
Channel Access Data Unit (an ECSS TM standard) |
|
| VCID |
Virtual Channel Identifier (an ECSS TM/TC standard) |
|
| MPF |
Mission Planning Facility |
|
| CH (duplicate) |
Cold Harness (X-IFU) |
|
| FPCB |
Flexible Printed Circuit Board (Flexlead) |
|
| LDQ |
Large Detector Quadrant (WFI) |
|
| SCET |
Spacecraft Elapsed Time |
|
| SPI (duplicate) |
Serial Peripheral Interface |
|
| CPSA |
Coordinated Parts Selection Agency |
|
| MDM |
Minimum Disruption Mission: New Athena as close as possible to Athena until June 2022 but within financial constraints |
|
| HaEU |
Hot and Energetic Universe (selected as a theme for the L2 mission in 2013) |
|
| SRT |
Science Redefinition Team |
|
| SRDT |
Science Redefinition Team |
|
| MRT (duplicate) |
Mission Reformulation Team |
|
| PLC |
Pay Load Compartment |
|
| NASST |
NewATHENA Study Science Team |
|
| WBEE |
Warm Back End Electronics (TES read-out) |
|
| WFEE (duplicate) |
Warm Front End Electronics (CryoAC) |
|
| HSR |
High Spectral Resolution |
|
| MDSO |
Mission Driving Scientific Objectives |
|
| ERB (duplicate) |
Energy Resolution Budget (X-IFU) |