SPINR-A Wide-Field Ultraviolet Spectral Imaging System

We present the design, data analysis strategy, and flight results of a system for recording spectral images of astrophysical sources at ultraviolet wavelengths. The system, called the Spectrograph for Photometric Imaging with Numeric Reconstruction (SPINR), is a combination of a new optical design with novel observing and data processing strategies to record a full three-dimensional (two spatial and one spectral dimension) data cube. The SPINR technique allows the use of higher throughput spectrographs than conventional push-broom techniques and as a result delivers higher sensitivity.