HomeARMS - Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System. A European-sponsored human biology experiment.
Area-to-Mass - A number which indicates an object’s ballistic coefficient, or how ‘draggy’ it is. A high area-to-mass ratio indicates a lightweight large object while a low area-to-mass ratio indicates a small dense object. Often abbreviated A/M.
ASP - Astronaut Support Personnel
Astrovan - a modified mobile home with special air conditioning systems for the astronauts' launch and entry suits. It's used to transport the astronauts from their living quarters to the launch pad
Ballistic Coefficient - A scientific way of measuring an object’s drag. (See Area-to-Mass ratio)
Bipod - A two-legged version of a tripod, basically an upside-down "V" shape
BRIC - Biological Research In Canisters. On STS-107 two biology experiments featuring moss and worms.
BSTRA - Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly – A ball and socket joint used to provide some flexibility to the shuttle’s propellant lines.
CAIB - Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The independent panel which investigated the Columbia accident
Capcom - Short for Capsule Communicator. The astronaut in Mission Control who communicates directly with the shuttle for all operational matters.
C-Band - Roughly 4 to 6 Ghz. The radar dishes in Florida that track the shuttle during reentry are in this frequency range.
CDR - Commander
CEIT - Crew Equipment Interface Test. A training exercise where the astronauts inspect everything they're going to use aboard the shuttle. In addition the astronauts trained to perform a spacewalk do a sharp edge inspection where they examine the payload bay to see if there's anything which could snag or rip their spacesuits.
CIBX - Commercial ITA Biomedical Experiments. A series of hundreds of small microgravity experiments activated on-orbit by the astronauts.
CIC - Crew Interface Coordinator. A scientist or engineer who talks to the astronauts in space about their experiments and represents the entire payload team
Code U - the NASA division responsible for life sciences and microgravity experiments. Code U sponsored all of the NASA experiments on STS-107, but not the European or commercial experiments.
comm - short for communications
Crater - A computer program used to predict damage to the shuttle's tiles by pieces of foam or other debris.
CRES - Corrosion Resistant Steel. Special grades of steel alloy. Columbia's flowliners were made from CRES 321.
CWC - Contingency Water Container. Large waterproof bags to store excess water.
Downlink - Transmissions from the shuttle to the Earth
Ergometer - a fancy bicycle-like device. It has a seat, handlebars, and pedals, but no wheels. The pedals are attached to sensors that calculate the astronaut's workload.
ESA - European Space Agency
EST - Eastern Standard Time
escargot - a nickname for the astronauts selected in 1995
ET - External Tank
EVA - ExtraVehicular Activity. Spacewalk.
Execute Package - The daily “mail” from Mission Control to the shuttle. It includes flight plan updates, maintenance procedures, interesting places on Earth to observe and photograph, a summary of the mission's progress, and some humor for the astronaut's enjoyment.
Family escort - Astronauts designates fellow astronauts as their family escorts to help their families before and during a shuttle mission. If there's an accident then the family escorts become the “Casualty Assistance Call Officer” (CACO – pronounced “Kay coe”)
FAST - Facility for Adsorption and Surface Tension - a European experiment for examining surface tension.
FAO - Flight Activities Officer. The engineer in Mission Control responsible for the astronaut’s activities in orbit including the flight plan, messages sent from Mission Control to the astronauts, and schedule.
FCR - pronounced “flicker.” The Flight Control Room is what most people think of as Mission Control. It has about 20 consoles for the engineers who monitor the shuttle in real-time.
FDO - pronounced “fido.” Flight Dynamics Officer. The engineer in Mission Control responsible for the shuttle's path, including all maneuvers, the orbit, and which runway to use for landing.
FGB - Its initials are from the Russian name. Literally it translates into Functional Cargo Block, the first component for the International Space Station.
FIT - Florida Institute of Technology a/k/a Florida Tech – a university about 35 miles to the south of KSC where many of the European experiments were based.
Flowliners - baffle-like holes that keep the propellant flowing smoothly through the shuttle's plumbing to its engines
Fly-around - If there's fuel available after undocking from a space station the pilot flies the shuttle through a loop around the space station while the rest of the crew takes photographs for documentation purposes.
FREESTAR - Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research. A series of six experiments mounted on a bridge inside Columbia's cargo bay. Some were automated; some operated by the astronauts from within the shuttle's crew cabin.
FRESH - Fundamental Rodent Experiments Supporting Health – the 16 male rats which flew for a series of scientific experiments
FRR - Flight Readiness Review. The management meeting about one week before launch that determines everything's ready to support the launch
GOBBSS - Growth of Bacterial Biofilm on inorganic Surfaces during Spaceflight. A small experiment sponsored by the Planetary Society to investigate whether or not bacteria could attach itself to a meteoroid
IMU - Inertial Measurement Unit – the gyros which determine the shuttle’s location in space
INCO - pronounced “in – coe” Integrated Navigation and Communications Officer
Inconel - A Nickel alloy used for the flowliners on Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour
ISS - International Space Station
IVA - Intravehicular Activity. Working inside the spacecraft. Also the astronaut inside who assists spacewalkers into their spacesuits.
JIS - Joint Integrated Sim(ulation). A large simulation exercise involving Mission Control, the astronauts, and possibly other important organizations like the payloads. In a JIS everything is simulated as closely as possible to an actual mission, with the simsup giving the team a variety of problems to resolve.
JSC - Johnson Space Center. The home of NASA's human spaceflight operations, located in Houston Texas.
Kiddush - a symbolic religious ceremony performed on the Shabbat
KSC - Kennedy Space Center. Where the shuttle launches and lands. Located in Florida, next to the city of Titusville, about 40 miles to the east of Orlando.
Ku-Band - Roughly 12-14 Ghz. The shuttle's directional high gain transmitter. This system can only be used when the payload bay doors are open on orbit and the antenna's extended over the side and has a clear view of a Tracking Data and Relay Satellite. It's used for high bandwidth transmissions including large amounts of experiment telemetry and television.
LES - Launch and Entry suit. The bright orange pressure suits used for launch and landing since 1988. Nicknamed “pumpkin suits” because of their color and bulk. A newer suit, the Advanced Crew Escape System externally looks the same but has better capabilities.
LiOH - Lithium Hydroxide. Oatmeal can-size canisters filled with Lithium Hydroxide crystals that absorb carbon dioxide.
loops - Communications channels
LPT - Low Power Transceiver. An experimental radio transceiver for more efficient spacecraft communications.
LSP - Laminar Soot Process (LSP). One of the three combustion experiments on STS-107.
MADS - Modular Auxiliary Data System – the telemetry tape recorder within the OEX (Orbiter Experiment).
MECO - Main Engine Cut Off. 8.5 minutes after launch when the three main engines shut down.
MEIDEX - pronounced "Me dex" - Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment. An Israeli sponsored camera to image dust clouds and sprites from space.
MER - Mission Evaluation Room. An off-line Mission Control function that evaluates the mission's progress and any problems that are being addressed.
MET - Mission Elapsed Time. The shuttle's clock which begins counting at launch.
MGM - Mechanics of Granular Materials. An experiment to investigate how liquefied sand acts, applicable to earthquakes, grain silos, and coastal erosion.
Microgravity - Extremely low amounts of gravity experienced aboard the space shuttle in orbit. It's not zero gravity because it can be measured, but it's extremely small - about one millionth of the normal gravity on Earth.
Mir - Russia's space station from 1986-1998.
MMACS - pronounced “max.” Maintenance, Mechanical and Crew Systems Engineer is the engineer responsible for monitoring the orbiter's structural and mechanical systems.
MMT - Mission Management Team. A group of high level engineers and managers who oversee the day-to-day operations of the space shuttle.
MOD - Mission Operation Directorate. The head of the flight controllers including the chief flight director which oversees real-time operations in Mission Control
m.p.h. - Miles per hour
MS - Mission Specialist
NBL - Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory - the large swimming pool with mockups of the shuttle and space station components where astronauts train for spacewalks.
NOLS - National Outdoor Leadership School. A commercial firm that uses outdoor camping trips as a bonding and leadership training tool for businessmen.
OARE - Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment. A sensor mounted within Columbia's cargo bay that measures minute changes to the microgravity environment aboard the shuttle.
OEX - Orbiter Experiment. Unique to Columbia this was a telemetry data recorder that collected data from hundreds of sensors located throughout the shuttle. It was recovered almost intact several weeks after the accident and proved invaluable in determining what had happened.
OFK - Official Flight Kit. Items of a souvenir nature flown for organizations with some connection to the mission.
OIG - Orbital Information Group - the NASA website which handles public distribution of satellite tracking information.
OMDP - Orbiter Maintenance and Down Period. The equivalent of a 50,000 mile checkup on you car - but in this case it's 50 million miles. Each shuttle is periodically taken out of service for an overhaul of its systems, detailed inspections, and upgrades. NASA has since renamed the OMDP the OMM (Orbiter Maintenance and Modification).
OMS - pronounced "ohms" Orbital Maneuvering System. The two engines at the rear of the shuttle used for major on-orbit maneuvers and for reentry
OPF - Orbiter Processing Facility - the large hangars where the shuttles are serviced between missions
OCA - Orbiter Communications Adapter
Osirak - A French built nuclear reactor in Baghdad Iraq. It was destroyed by Israeli F-16 jets on June 7, 1981.
OSTEO - Osteoporosis Experiments in Orbit. An experiment which grows bone culture in orbit. It's operated by the astronauts.
PAL - Protuberance Air Load – an aerodynamic ramp on the side of the External Tank
PDIP - Payload Data Interface Panel
PhAB4 - pronounced "Fab Four" - (Physiology and Biochemistry Team) a suite of four physiological experiments (experiments on the human body)
PLT - Pilot
POCC - Payload Operations Control Center. The room where payloads are controlled from on the ground, engineers monitor Spacehab's systems, and decisions are made for payload operations in space.
PRSD - Power Reactant and Storage Distribution. The large aluminum tanks that hold the liquid hydrogen and oxygen used to generate power and water.
PS - Payload Specialist
PSRD - Prototype Synchrotron Radiation Detector. A payload originally intended for STS-107 but moved to the STS-108 mission.
PTO - Protein Turnover experiment. One of the PhAB4 experiments which evaluates how the body consumes protein in microgravity.
RCC - Reinforced Carbon-Carbon – the gray fiberglass-like material which protects the shuttle’s hottest surfaces during the reentry
RPM - Rotations Per Minute
S*T*A*R*S - Space Technology and Research Students. A commercial educational payload sponsored by Spacehab. It featured six student developed educational experiments.
sardine - a nickname for the astronauts selected in 1996
S-Band - Roughly 2 to 4 Ghz. The frequencies used by the shuttle's low data rate transmitters. They can transmit voice and telemetry no matter what the shuttle's orientation and during all stages of the mission.
SEM - Space Experiment Module. A canister with space for up to 10 student experiments, primarily passive payloads which students examine to see how they've been affected by travelling in space.
Shabbat - The Jewish Sabbath. It goes from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday
Shiva - The Jewish mourning period after a family member dies
Sim - short for Simulation.
Simsup - Simulation supervisor
SOFBALL - Structure of Flame Balls At Low Lewis-number. One of the three combustion experiments on STS-107.
SOFI - Pronounced “so fee” Spray on Foam Insulation. The orange foam insulation that covers most of the External Tank, but not the bipod area. It's basically the same material as spray cans of foam insulation available in hardware stores.
SOLCON - Solar Constant (pronounced “sol con”). A Belgian experiment which monitors the output from the Sun
SOLSE - Shuttle Ozone Limb Scattering Experiment
Spacehab - The commercial firm which built the Research Double Module where most of the STS-107 experiments were housed. The term “Spacehab” refers to both the company and the module. There are three versions of the Spacehab modules - the original single module used for either experiments or to carry cargo to the Mir or ISS, the Logistics double module used to carry cargo to Mir and ISS, and the Research Double Module (RDM) which premiered on STS-107.
Spacelab - The European pressurized laboratory module used for science experiments aboard the shuttle from 1983 to 1998. It's been retired and superceded by the Spacehab research modules.
SPIF - Spacehab Payload Integration Facility. The cleanroom and laboratories in Cape Canaveral where the Spacehab module is prepared for flight.
SRB - Solid rocket booster - The large solid propellant boosters used for the first two minutes. The two SRBs provide most of the thrust and noise during launch.
SSME - Space Shuttle Main Engine. The liquid hydrogen liquid oxygen powered rocket engines that propel the shuttle from sealevel to orbital altitude.
STS - Space Transportation System. Almost always just used as an acronym, STS-107 designates a particular mission. The number is only partially related to the order the flights fly.
SWRI - Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas
TCDT - Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test - the dress rehearsal for the astronauts with the launch team
TDRSS - Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System. TDRSS consists of a group of Tracking, Data, and Relay satellites in orbit, which act like a switchboard in the sky. The shuttle and other satellites send their signals up to a TDRS instead of only when they fly over ground stations. The TDRS retransmits the data to a ground station in White Sands New Mexico. Using TDRS permits Mission Control to keep in contact with the shuttle for over 85% of the time, as opposed to less than 15% for previous spacecraft that relied on ground stations. TDRSS is also used by a variety of scientific satellites and some classified satellites.
terminal velocity - the maximum speed an object can travel as it’s falling through the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s the speed where gravity and the drag on an object are equal. The maximum terminal velocity is for dense aerodynamically shaped objects and is a couple of hundred miles per hour.
timeliner - the engineer which determines the timeline for activities on the shuttle. The timeliner works for the Flight Activities Officer.
TPS - Thermal Protection System. The gray RCC panels, the black and white tiles, and white blankets which cover most of the shuttle's exterior to protect it from reentry heat.
Triana - Then vice-president Al Gore's concept for a student-built Earth observation satellite. It would “hover” at a gravitationally stable position between the Sun and the Earth and send back real-time images of the sunlit side of the Earth. The project eventually ballooned into a much more sophisticated satellite at far greater cost and has been permanently shelved.
Uplink - Transmissions from the Earth to the shuttle (e.g. Mission Control tells the shuttle “We’ve uplinked today’s mail to you.”)
VAB - Vehicle Assembly Building - One of the world's largest buildings. Originally built for the Apollo program the VAB is where the shuttle is mated to its External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters.
VCD - Vapor Compression Distillation experiment. An experimental vacuum still designed to purify urine.
VTR - Video Tape Recorder. Industrial video recorders used to tape data from scientific experiments. Off-the-shelf consumer portable digital VCRs are also used for many experiments.
WCS - Waste Collection System. The shuttle's toilet
Zeolite - Minerals which has been nicknamed “chemical sponges,” used in industrial applications like refining gasoline. Zeolite crystals have been grown on many shuttle missions.