THE ULTRAVIOLET IMAGING TELESCOPE: INSTRUMENT AND DATA CHARACTERISTICS

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (\UIT) was flown as part of the \AstroMiss\ observatory on the Space Shuttle Columbia in December 1990 and again on the Space Shuttle Endeavor in March 1995. Ultraviolet (1200-3300Å) images of a variety of astronomical objects, with a 40\arcmin\ field of view and a resolution of about 3\arcsec, were recorded on photographic film. The data recorded during the first flight is available to the astronomical community through the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC); the data recorded during the second flight will soon be available as well. This paper discusses in detail the design, operation, data reduction, and calibration of \UIT, providing the user of the data with information for understanding and using the data. It also provides guidelines for analyzing other astronomical imagery made with image intensifiers and photographic film.