Good question regarding the abbreviations. As with all jobs, we have our own jargon. I try to define whatever terms I use, but sometimes a refresher is good for all.

RA stands for Robotic Arm and TEGA stands for Thermally Evolved Gas Analyzer. Both of these are instruments, which we call payloads, on board the lander.

We have EMs or Engineering Models, for each payload, which are used for testing. There are several payloads on board, and for a complete description of each, check out our
website.

We do our testing in the PIT, or Payload Interoperability Testbed. Basically, we want to understand how each instrument behaves, as well as how they work together (the Interoperability part of the acronym).

Finally, the whole team, scientists, engineers and other specialists, come together several times before landing to run tests, as if the lander were on Mars. We use the model lander as a stand in during these Operational Readiness Tests/Training, ORTs. The T can be for Test or Training, depending on your point of view.

Has anyone found the website useful? Or would you prefer me to talk about each instrument? The comments help me determine what to talk about, so keep the questions coming.