Useful Acronyms and Abbreviations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
ACS	Attitude Control System
AFST	As-Flown Science Timeline
AGN	Active Galactic Nucleus/Nuclei
AKBAR	Astrophysical Knowledge Base for Analysis and Reporting
ARF	Ancillary Response Function
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASI	Agenzia Spaziale Italiana - Italian Space Agency
ASIC	Application Specific Integrated Circuit
AT	Automated Target
ATS	Absolute Time Sequence; the 5-day timeline uploaded to Swift.
B
BA	Burst Advocate
BAT	Burst Alert Telescope
BATSE	Burst And Transient Source Experiment
BeppoSAX	See SAX. "Beppo" in honour of Giuseppe Occhialini
C
CALDB	Calibration DataBase
CCD	Charge Coupled Device
CGRO	Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory
Co-I	Co-Investigator
CZT or CdZnTe	Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride
D
Dec	Declination
DEM	Digital Electronics Module
DPU	Digital Processing Unit
DTS	Data Transfer System
E
EMI/EMC	ElectroMagnetic Interference/ElectroMagnetic Compatibility
ESA	European Space Agency
EST	Eastern Standard Time
ESTEC	European Space and Technology Centre
F
FAQs	Frequently Asked Questions
FITS	Flexible Image Transport System
FoM	Figure of Merit
FOT	Flight Operations Team
FoV	Field of View
FPCA	Focal Plane Camera Assembly
FT	Faulkes Telescope
FWHM	Full-Width at Half-Maximum
G
GCN	Gamma-ray burst Coordinates Network
GI	Guest Investigator
GIF	Graphics Interchange Format
GRB	Gamma-Ray Burst
GSFC	Goddard Space Flight Center
H
HEASARC	High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
HETE	High-Energy Transient Explorer
HST	Hubble Space Telescope
I
ICU	Instrument Control Unit
IDS	Instrument Duty Specialist
Integral	INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory
IPN	Inter-Planetary Network
IRAF	Image Reduction and Analysis Facility
ISAC	Italian Swift Archive Centre
ISAS	Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
J
J	Joule (unit of energy; 1J = 10⁷erg)
JPEG	Joint Photographic Experts Group
K
KSC	Kennedy Space Center
L
LANL	Los Alamos National Laboratory
LEDAS	LEicester Database and Archive Service
LEO or L&EO	Launch and Early Orbit
LIGO	Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory
LISA	Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
LT	Liverpool Telescope
LU	University of Leicester
M
MCP	Micro-Channel Plate
MIC	MCP Intensified CCD
MOC	Mission Operations Centre (at PSU)
MPE	Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik
MSSL	Mullard Space Science Laboratory
N
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NFI	Narrow-Field Instruments
NSC	National Space Centre (in Leicester)
O
OBIF	Optical Bench Interface Flange
ODE	Observatory Duty Engineer
ODFs	Observation Data Files
ODS	Observatory Duty Scientist
OGIP	Office of Guest Investigator Programs
OM	Optical Monitor (on-board XMM)
P
PDMP	Project Data Management Plan
PI	Principal Investigator
PIMMS	Portable Interactive Multi-Mission Simulator
PNG	Portable Network Graphic
PPST	Pre-Planned Science Timeline
PSU or Penn State	Pennsylvania State University
Q
QE	Quantum Efficiency
R
RA	Right Ascension
RMF	Response Matrix File
RXTE	Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
S
SAA	South Atlantic Anomaly
SAAO	South African Astronomical Observatory
SAX	Satellite per Astronomia X
SCDE	Space-Craft Duty Engineer
SDC	Swift Data Centre (at GSFC)
SERS	Spacecraft Emergency Response System
SOT	Science Operations Team
SSC	Swift Science Centre
SWRI	South West Research Institute
T
TAM	Telescope Alignment Monitor
tdRSS	Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
TLE	Two Line Ephemeris
TOO or ToO	Target of Opportunity
U
UKSSDC	United Kingdom Swift Science Data Centre
USN	Universal Space Network
UTC	Universal Time Coordinate
UV	Ultra-Violet
UVOT	UV and Optical Telescope
W
WASP	Wide Area Sky Patrol / Wide Area Search for Planets
WCS	World Coordinate System
WFC	Wide-Field Camera
X
XBSS	XRT Burst Support Scientist
XDS	XRT Duty Specialist
XMM or XMM-Newton	X-ray Multi-Mirror mission. "Newton" in honour of Sir Isaac Newton
XRT	X-Ray Telescope
Z
ZP	Zero Point

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Useful Acronyms and Abbreviations