NOTE: Parts of this handbook may no longer apply to the data in MAST, because they are in a different format and processed with an updated pipeline. This document is maintained primarily for information about the mission and hardware. Users are encouraged to read the paper by Dixon et al. PASP, 2013 for updatedinformation on the calibration and processing of the data now available on MAST.
The HUT Instrument Handbook is intended to serve a variety of functions, from aiding guest investigators in writing proposals to serving as a general reference for successful guest investigators, new team members, and the flight crew. As a result, different readers will want to concentrate on specific sections to accomplish their primary objectives. This handbook will be updated in future revisions to reflect new calibration data and actual flight performance for HUT on Astro-2.
The introduction gives a succinct description of HUT and its capabilities that will be of use to all readers. For those planning to write observing proposals, the introduction and section 5, describing feasibility estimates, will prove most useful. The article ``The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope: Performance and Calibration during the Astro-1 Mission'' by Davidsen et al. (ApJ, 392, 264-271, 1992 June 10) is also recommended reading. Proposers who push the capabilities of the telescope at either the faint end or the bright end should consult section 4 on calibration to gain a better sense of what is possible and what may be difficult. If there is any question about HUT's capabilities, do not hesitate to consult with Dr. William P. Blair, who is serving as the interim HUT Guest Investigator support contact at Johns Hopkins University (phone: 410/516-8447; email: wpb@pha.jhu.edu), for more detailed explanations.
Successful guest investigators, new team members, and the flight crew are urged to read the whole handbook for a comprehensive view of HUT and its operation both in orbit and on the ground. For users who will be directly associated with HUT operations, sections 2 and 3 describing the hardware and its operation will be most valuable. For team members participating in science planning, section 3 on operations, and section 6 on mission planning provide the best background. For users of HUT data, either from Astro-1 or Astro-2, section 4 on calibration and section 5 on making observational feasibility estimates contain the most pertinent information. The handbook will probably not answer all questions that a user might have, but will refer the reader to the appropriate reference document for the pertinent details.
Reprints of articles based on HUT Astro-1 data which were accepted for publication before the end of 1992 have been collected in a book, Scientific Results from the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (ed. A. F. Davidsen), which is available on request. (Call Sharon K. Busching at 410-516-5367, or send electronic mail to skb@pha.jhu.edu).