Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) is a versatile imaging spectrograph that separates light into its component wavelengths observers use to study the properties of astronomical objects. It features three detectors (one Charged Coupled Device and two Multi-Anode Microchannel Arrays) to detect light from the near-infrared to the ultraviolet. A set of mirror gratings is then used to separate the light into individual wavelength components.

STIS was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during its Second Servicing Mission in February 1997, and replaced the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) and the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS). The instrument operated until the power supply failed in 2004. It remained inoperable until the power supply was successfully repaired in 2009 during Servicing Mission 4 and remains in use today.

For more information, check out these resources:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.” https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/observatory/design/space-telescope-imaging-spectrograph/

Space Telescope Science Institute. “Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.” https://www.stsci.edu/hst/instrumentation/stis