NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 19940031530: NASA Thesaurus. Volume 1: Hierarchical listing. Volume 2: Access vocabulary. Volume 3: Definitions

1490 Pages·100.9 MB·English

by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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v
NASA SP-7096
(Vol. 1)
NASA
THESAURUS
VOLUME 1
HIERARCHICAL LISTING
1994 EDITION
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
I_I_A
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Scientific andTechnical
Information Program
1994
ISSN 0899-5257
This publication was prepared by and isavailable from the
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information,
800 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-2934, [phone].
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
................................................................................................................. V
Volume 1 * Hierarchical Listing
Introduction
......................................................................................................... Vii
Nomenclature and Conventions ......................................................................... vii
Cross Reference Structure.................................................................................. ix
Alphabetization ..................................................................................................... x
Previous Editions .................................................................................................. x
Typical Hierarchical Listing Entries ...................................................................... xi
Hierarchical Listing .............................................................................................. 1
Volume2 • Access Vocabulary
Volume 3 ° Definitions

PREFACE
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 tasks the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) to "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of
information concerning its activities and the results thereof." To fulfill the Space Act mandate, NASA
established a system of acquisition, processing, publication, announcement, dissemination, and
exchange. Its purpose is to promote the highest R&D quality and productivity and to minimize R&D
duplication. The embodiment of this system is the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI)
Program.
At the heart of the STI Program is the vast wealth of aerospace information residing in the NASA
STI Database. The subject coverage of the collection reflects NASA's mission. The NASA
Thesaurus is the key to the subject matter of the nearly three million records, and there are
currently over 20 million postings to NASA Thesaurus terms in the Database.
NASA's Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) is the primary point for STI acquisition and
dissemination. Through CASI and other program resources, the NASA STI Program acquires
reports by NASA authors, contractors, and grantees, NASA-owned patents and patent applications,
and NASA-produced videotapes; reports issued by government agencies, domestic and foreign
institutions, universities, and private firms, and dissertations and theses emphasizing aeronautics,
space, and supporting disciplines. Additionally, the STI Program acquires relevant journals,
translations, books, meeting papers, and conference proceedings issued by professional societies
and academic organizations.
The European Space Agency (ESA) acts as a doorway to European aerospace gray literature and
plays a vital role in the STI Program's acquisitions. Other countries, such as Australia, Canada,
Israel, and Japan, contribute in a similar way, as do individual aerospace-related research
organizations and agencies worldwide.
Citations to all this STI are prepared using the NASA Thesaurus vocabulary for indexing and are
included in the NASA STI Database. This database is available to authorized users through NASA
RECON, the forerunner of many online bibliographic search systems, and for public use within the
United States through commercial database vendors. Additionally, ESA makes the database
available to members of the European space community.
The STI Program is also responsible for Special Publications, Conference Publications, Reference
Publications, and other NASA technical report series. The STI Program promotes public access
by contributing to the Federal Depository Library Program: at least one copy of many NASA
publications, including the NASA Thesaurus, is available in either microfiche or printed form at 53
depository libraries throughout the United States. NASA publications are also available for sale by
CASI. Copies of the NASA STI Database are also available from CASI.

INTRODUCTION
The NASA Thesaurus contains the authorized subject terms by which the documents inthe NASA
Aerospace Database are indexed and retrieved. The NASA Thesaurus comprises three volumes:
Volume 1- Hierarchical Listing, Volume 2- Access Vocabulary, Volume 3 - Definitions.
The Hierarchical Listing contains all subject terms and USE cross references currently
approved for use. The listing includes terms appearing inthe NASA Thesaurus, Prelimi-
nary Edition (December 1967), the NASA Thesaurus Alphabetical Update (September
1971), the NASA Thesaurus (1982, 1985, and 1988 editions), and other terms approved
for use through December 1993. The listing contains postable and nonpostable terms.
Over 17,500 terms and over 4,000 USE references comprise the Hierarchical Listing,
which includes more than 167,000 broader, narrower, and related term entries.
The Access Vocabulary is a ready reference tool which provides thousands of addi-
tional 'access points' to the thesaurus terminology. Itcontains the postable terms and
nonpostable terms found inthe Hierarchical Listing along with pseudoterms, embedded
terms, and other entry terms. Itisa useful companion to the Hierarchical Listing and its
use is encouraged. The Access Vocabulary contains almost 42,000 entries.
Definitions explains many of the terms added to the NASA Thesaurus since 1976 and
many of the earlier terms. Itcan be consulted as an authority for uppercase/lowercase
versions of thesaurus terms. Over 3,500 definitions are complemented by some 1,000
USE references.
The NASA Thesaurus is updated bythe NASA Thesaurus Supplement until anew edition is issued.
The NASA Thesaurus Supplement is cumulative and is published semiannually in March and
September. It includes complete hierarchies for all new terms, the Access Vocabulary, and
Definitions added since the last edition. A listing of deletions and changes is also included.
Suggestions for term modification, deletion, and addition should be addressed to:
Lexicographer
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information
800 Elkridge Landing Road
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-2934
The terminology of the NASA Thesaurus is based in large part on the actual indexing vocabulary
developed by NASA during the 1960s. Other thesauri, notably the DOD Thesaurus of Engineering
and Scientific Terms (AD-672000), have provided additional candidate terms. The general guide-
lines increating and maintaining the NASA Thesaurus have been based onthe COSATI Guidelines
for the Development of Information Retrieval Thesauri (1September 1967). The NASA Thesaurus
conforms to the forthcoming thesaurus standard (ANSI/NISO Z39.19-1993) of the National Infor-
mation Standards Organization.
This edition of the NASA Thesaurus has undergone extensive revision. In particular, much work
was done to provide upper/lower-casing authority inthe Access Vocabulary.
NOMENCLATURE AND CONVENTIONS
Postable Terms. Subject terms that have been approved for use in indexing, and thus can be
'posted.'
Nonpostable Terms. Terms that are includedfor cross reference information and cannot be used
for indexing.
Term Selection. Subject terms have been chosen on the basis of their significance and use in
aerospace literature and their effectiveness inincorporating productive retrieval concepts. Particu-
vii
larconsiderationhasbeengivento frequencyofuseinearlierNASAindexingandsearch
vocabulariesto, relationshipwsithothertermsinthevocabularya,ndtoprecisescientificand
technicaul sage.
NounUsage. In general, subject terms are presented inthe noun form.
Singular vs. Plural. The plural form has, in general, been used for subject terms. The singular
form, however, is occasionally employed for specific processes, properties, conditions, and
hardware.
Term Length. No more than 42 characters, including spaces, are used for any subject term.
Various words inlonger terms are often truncated. With this edition scope notes are used to spell
out truncated terms.
Term Ambiguity. When subject terms have more than one meaning in aerospace usage, or
where distinction between terms must be made, clarification isprovided in one of two ways:
a) Parenthetical qualifying expressions or glosses are added, becoming part of the subject
term. For.example:
SIZING (SHAPING)
SIZING (SURFACE TREATMENT)
b) Parenthetical scope notes arealso added for explanation ordefinition; they do not become
part of the subject term. For example:
SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS
SN (FOR SPECTROSCOPIC TOOLS IN CHEMICAL ANALYSIS)
Direct Entry. Subject terms that consistof morethan oneword are listedfor direct entry, i.e., in
their natural word order rather than inthe inverted form. Inverted forms appear in the Access
Vocabu/ary. For example:
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY not CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL
Abbreviations and Acronyms. Some abbreviations andacronymsthat are incommon use inthe
aerospace community are employed inthisthesaurus. Inmost cases, USE cross references are
made from the unabbreviated forms. Forexample:
ORBITING SOLAR OBSERVATORY
USE OSO
Synonyms. When candidate subject terms are truesynonyms, one ischosen to be the valid, or
postable term, and the other isprovidedwitha USE crossreference. Forexample:
COLUMBIUM NIOBIUM
USE NIOBIUM UF COLUMBIUM
Array Terms. Subject terms withmeaningeither toobroadorambiguous for effective indexingor
retrievalofinformation,have been designated arrayterms andcarrythefollowing scope note (SN):
(USE OF A MORE SPECIFIC TERM IS RECOMMENDED - CONSULT THE TERMS
LISTED BELOW). Relationships withother postable terms are shown bythe Related Term (RT)
reference only. Forexample:
oo BEAMS
SN (USE OF A MORE SPECIFIC TERM IS RECOMMENDED -
CONSULT THE TERMS LISTED BELOW)
RT BEAMS (RADIATION)
BEAMS (SUPPORTS)
An infinitysymbol (oo)precedes an arrayterm ineach ofitsappearances inVolume 1.
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