A far ultraviolet rocket-borne spectrograph

A sensitive spectrograph for rocket observations of celestial objects in the 910-1250A band is described. The instrument incorporates a variety of new technologies that allow unprecedented sensitivity in this difficult, but scientifically rewarding, band. It includes a diamond-turned Wolter-Schwarzschild Type II telescope, a conventional Rowland Circle spectrograph, and resistive anode/microchannel plate detectors. It has been launched twice from Woomera, Australia where it performed observations of SN1987A and discovered a new feature in the diffuse UV background.