Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) is a spectrograph, also with a camera mode, installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. Aerospace engineer Bruce Woodgate of the Goddard Space Flight Center was the principal investigator and creator of the STIS. It operated continuously from 1997 until a power supply failure in August 2004. After repairs, it began operating again in 2009. The spectrograph has made many important observations, including the first spectrum of the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet, HD 209458b.

Design

STIS is both a spectrograph and an imaging camera, and is focused on ultraviolet light. ==Timeline==

Timeline

launches, a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission that repaired STIS and returned it to service • February 14, 1997 – STIS installed • August 3, 2004 – STIS goes offline due to side-2 power-failure • 2009 – STIS repaired (STS-125) • Operating on side-2 electronics with all optical and UV channels. ==Selected discoveries and observations==

Selected discoveries and observations

On its 20th anniversary (1997–2017) NASA noted a selection of discoveries and/or observations conducted with STIS: • Survey of 20 galaxies to look for black holes • Study of the Intergalactic Medium • Study of the Galactic Halo • Study of Interstellar Medium • Chemical analysis of an atmosphere of an exoplanet • Observations of a Dust Disk around Beta Pictoris • Study of massive stars in R136 (in the Tarantula Nebula) • Study of the star Eta Carinae • Study of Supernova 1987A • Study of flows from an Active Galaxy ==See also==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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