The Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS), one of the original axial instruments launched with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in April 1990, provided confirming evidence for a massive black hole in 1994 in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. It also engaged in many other observing programs, observing individual stars in other galaxies as well as the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter. But most significantly it refined quantitative measurements of the characteristics of massive black holes from studies of accretion disks at the centers of galaxies. After almost seven years of service, FOS was removed from HST on February 13, 1997 by the Space Shuttle crew (STS 82, Discovery) during a servicing mission to provide room for a new instrument. The instrument was transferred to NASM by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 1999.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
1999
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
INSTRUMENTS-Scientific
Manufacturer
Martin Marietta
Dimensions
3-D (Object Only): 100.3 × 90.2 × 222.9cm, 499.9kg (3 ft. 3 1/2 in. × 2 ft. 11 1/2 in. × 7 ft. 3 3/4 in., 1102lb.)
Support (Rolling Base Only): 130.2 × 22.9 × 130.2cm (4 ft. 3 1/4 in. × 9 in. × 4 ft. 3 1/4 in.)
Materials
Black aluminum and mixed metal box mounted vertically on a 4x4 foot aluminum plate. The box protects a precision framework of metal that constitutes an optical bench consisting of optical components, electronic detectors and baffles.
Inventory Number
A19990075000
Credit Line
Transferred from NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.
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