Michael Cassutt - The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation

AFIT

Air Force Institute of Technology

AFWL

Air Force Weapons Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

ALT

Approach and Landing Test, first phase of space shuttle flight tests, 1977

ARPS

Air Force Research Pilot School, interim name for the Air Force Test Pilot School

AS

Apollo-Saturn mission designation

ASCAN

Astronaut candidate

ASTP

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 19721975

ATLAS

Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science, shuttle Spacelab

CCB

Configuration control board

CDR

Commander of a shuttle crew

CFES

Continuous flow electrophoresis system, McDonnell Douglas payload carried on the shuttle

CM

Command module, Apollo spacecraft

CSM

Command and service module, Apollo spacecraft

DC-X

Delta Clipper, McDonnell Douglas experimental vehicle

DOD

Department of Defense

ESA

European Space Agency

ET

External tank, part of the shuttle stack at launch

EVA

Extravehicular activity, also known as space walk

FCOD

Flight crew operations directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center

FLAT

First Lady Astronaut Trainee

FOG

Friends of George [Abbey]

GASSER

George Abbey Saturday Review

GCTC

Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia

GE

General Electric Corporation

GEO

Geosynchronous orbit, approximately 22,500 miles of altitude

GT

Gemini-Titan, mission designation

HQ

NASA headquarters, Washington, DC

ICBM

Intercontinental ballistic missile

JSC

NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

KSC

NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

ISF

Industrial Space Facility

ISS

International Space Station program

IUS

Inertial upper stage, propulsion unit for satellites

JPL

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

LEM/LM

Lunar excursion module, later lunar module, Apollospacecraft

LLTV/LLRV

Lunar landing training vehicle, lunar landing researchvehicle

MA

Mercury-Atlas, mission designation

McDAC

McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation

MECO

Main engine cutoff, a key moment in any shuttle launch

MMU

Manned Maneuvering Unit, a powered backpack for space walks

MOL

Manned Orbiting Laboratory, USAF-NRO program 196369

MR

Mercury-Redstone, mission designation

MS

Mission specialist, nonpilot shuttle astronaut

MSC

NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas (after 1973, Johnson Space Center)

MSE

Manned Spaceflight Engineer, air force shuttle payload specialist cadre

NACA

National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, 191558 (NASA predecessor)

NAR

North American Rockwell Corporation

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NBL

Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center

NRC

National Research Council

NRO

National Reconnaissance Office

NROTC

Naval Reserve Officer Training Program

OFT

Orbital flight test, early designation for first shuttle orbital test flights

OV

Orbital vehicle, NASA designation for individual shuttle orbiters

PAM

Payload assist module, shuttle upper stage

PEAP

Personal Egress Air Pack, worn by shuttle crews from 1981 to 1986

PLT

Pilot on a shuttle crew

PS

Payload specialist, nonastronaut shuttle crew member

RKA

Russian Space Agency

RMS

Remote manipulator system, the shuttles robot arm

ROTC

Reserve Officer Training Program

RSLS

Redundant set launch sequence, NASA term for on-pad abort

SAFSP/SP

Secretary of the Air Force Special Projects / Special Projects,the air force element within the NRO

SAIL

Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory

S&ID

Space and Information Systems Division, North American Rockwell

SCA