| CETEX | Committee on Contamination by Extraterrestrial Exploration |
| CoPP | Committee on Planetary Protection |
| COSPAR | Committee on Space Research, International Council of Science |
| CRISM | Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, experiment aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| CRM | Continuous Risk Management |
| CTX | Context Camera, experiment aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| EDL | Entry, Descent, and Landing |
| GCR | Galactic Cosmic Radiation |
| HiRISE | High Resolution Imaging Experiment, experiment aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| ICE-SAG | Ice Climate Evolution Science Analysis Group |
| ICSU | International Council of Scientific Unions |
| ISR | Induced Special Regions |
| MARSIS | Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding, experiment aboard Mars Express |
| MEPAG | Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group |
| MRO | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| MSL | Mars Science Laboratory |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NID | NASA Interim Directive |
| NPR | NASA Procedural Requirements |
| PPIRB | Planetary Protection Independent Review Board |
| PPO | Planetary Protection Officer |
| REMS | Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, experiment aboard Mars Science Laboratory |
| RIDM | Risk Informed Decision Making |
| RM | Risk Management |
| ROS | Reactive Oxygen Species |
| RSL | Recurring Slope Lineae |
| RTG | Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator |
| SAG | Special Analysis Group |
| SHARAD | Mars Shallow Radar Sounder, experiment aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| SSB | Space Studies Board |
| TES | Thermal Emission Spectrometer, experiment aboard Mars Global Surveyor |
| TGO | Trace Gas Orbiter, experiment aboard ExoMars |
| TRN | Terrain Relative Navigation |
| UVC | high solar ultraviolet radiation flux |
| UVS | UV sensor, experiment aboard Mars Science Laboratory |