ORBITAL PERFORMANCE OF THE GODDARD HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROGRAPH DIGICON DETECTORS ON THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

The design and specification of space-based detectors generally requires considerable analysis together with experimental simulation to characterize and minimize the influence of the dynamic space environment on the detector performance. We present the results of an extensive investigation of the in-orbit performance of the Digicon detectors in the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS), conducted as part of the commissioning phase of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This paper includes results on the background noise, sensor stability, orbital management of detector activities, and relevant GHRS astronomy applications.