NASA / STIS award McPhersons vacuum ultraviolet monochromator

NASA has included and issued an award to James DeMarino and Erik Schoeffel, two developers of a McPherson Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectrometer System. The award was given as part of a group achievement award for designing and constructing a unique McPherson Vacuum Monochromator and Spatial Light Source Analyzer. NASA has recognized the individuals as members of the development team of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) in recognition of the contribution to an outstanding astronomical spectrograph that already is providing major discoveries with the Hubble Space Telescope.

The McPherson Spatial Vacuum Spectrometer System permitted wavelength and intensity analysis of calibration sources under simulated conditions. The Spatial Vacuum Spectrometer permitted analysis of emissions in given spectral areas of importance for STIS. The vacuum ultraviolet region was studied as was the spatial dependance of emitted light from various sources.

Variations of the instrument will have an impact in the more thorough analysis of sources that emit in the vacuum range of the electro-magnetic spectrum.