The International Ultraviolet Explorer - A Photo Gallery

NASA operated IUE for 16 hours each day from the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Science Operations Center was located in a suite in Building 21 and the Operations Control Center was in the basement of Building 14. The Science Operations Center initially consisted of the Telescope Operations Center, the Image Processing Center, the Data Management Center, and several offices. Later a Regional Data Analysis Center was added. The center’s cafeteria was in another wing on the same floor and the library was one floor up above the cafeteria.

Here are photos taken at Goddard, mostly in the Telescope Operations Center. I don’t have sources for most of the photos. Some are NASA publicity photos. Maybe some were taken by Fred Espanak. Who else might have given me photos?

These photos may have been taken before launch

Telescope Operators Ruth Ehlers and Bill Crabb in GSFC’s Telescope Operations Center

TOs Ruth Ehlers and Bill Crabb in GSFC’s TOC

Post-launch Commissioning

Resident Astronomer Charlie Wu, TO Bill Crabb, and JPL’s Lonnie Lane	TOs Bill Crabb, Ruth Ehlers, and Fred Espenak
RA Al Holm, Ruth Ehlers, and GSFC’s Ralph Bohlin	Al Holm, Ruth Ehlers, and Ralph Bohlin
TO Fred Espanak and Jeff Linsky in the TOC	Ruth Ehlers and Al Holm in the TOC
Ruth Ehlers, Al Holm, Don West, and Mike Sandford Sandford was the camera expert from the UK’s SRC.	Orange Fine Error Sensor Finder Field superimposed on the FES image of HZ Her and the stars around it
ORBENV - Orbital Environment Display on the EDS	Photowrite of a echelle spectrum of Eta UMa from the Short Wavelength Redundant camera (SWR1019), showing the blemishes in that camera
An LWR echelle of Jupiter’s limb displayed on the EDS	FES image of ν 1 Draconis and ν 2 Draconis, separated by 62 arcsec

The Era of Guest Observers

The sign at Goddard’s gate when IUE Guest Observers started	Goddard’s newsletter when IUE opened for GOs
RA Charlie Wu, TO Bill Crabb, and GO Maarten Schmidt	GOs Bev Oke and Jesse Greenstein with Ruth Ehlers
Jesse Greenstein and Ruth Ehlers	Bill Hathaway and GO Erika Bohm-Vitense
Science Operations secretary Mona Drexler photo provided by Tom Quisenberry	Keith Feggans and Sam Coleman in the Image Processing Center photo provided by Tom Quisenberry
Dot Appleman in Data Management Center Photo provided by Barry Turnrose.	The IUE Operations Control Center in Goddard’s Building 14 NASA photo provided by George Sonneborn
GO Paul Vanden Bout. The TO might be Bryan Barrofio	GO Thornton Page
GO Larry Aller in the TOC	Bill Hathaway, Larry Aller, and Tony Keyes
GO Richard Green in IUE’s luxurious GO Office	RA Bob Panek at a data analysis terminal
Administrator Robert Frosch visited the IUE TOC Sally Heap was the GO for the occasion	Novelist James Mitchner visited IUE in July 1980 His next book, “Space”, dealt with manned spaceflight
GO Joy Heckathorn with an unidentified TO	Spectrum of Comet 1983D IRAS-Araki-Alcock on the EDS Image taken from NASA website
GO Gerrie Peters and TO Muriel Taylor	RA Cathy Imhoff
GOs Ed Guinan and Dave Bradstreet Photo provided by Gerrie Peters	RA Carol Grady and TO Holly Abrahams (with her back to the camera). Photo provided by Gerrie Peters
TO Betsy Park and RA Terry Teays Photo provided by Gerrie Peters	Gerrie Peters observing with TO Jaime Esper Photo provided by Gerrie Peters
RA Mike Crenshaw Photo provided by Gerrie Peters	Muriel Taylor and RA Nancy Oliversen Photo provided by Gerrie Peters
Yoji Kondo, TO Matt Garhart, Don West, and RA George Sonneborn	Supernova 1987A C IV lines overlayed on the EDS spectrum display NASA photo RA Nancy Oliversen’s infant son with TO Daryl Weinstein
Ron Parise, DMC RA and payload specialist astronaut for Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. Photo provided by Gerrie Peters	IUE/CSC staff in the late days, image from Karen Levay

The IUE was controlled for eight hours each day from the ESA's Villafranca Satellite Tracking Station, known as “VILSPA”, located about 30 km west of Madrid. Scheduled ESA and UK researchers would visit the station to make their observations The time when VILSPA’s control of the IUE began shifted 2 hours earlier every month because the spacecraft dipped below VILSPA’s horizon during perigee, which was fixed in sidereal time.

Panarama view of the VILSPA station. Photograph provided by Ian Howarth

IUE was developed to be operated from both VILSPA and GSFC as illustrated in this sticker image from Pierluigi Selvelli	Piero Benvenuti explaining IUE operations to Queen Sophia and King Juan Carlos of Spain during VILSPA’s dedication on May 12, 1978. Image taken from scrolling photos during VILSPA’s IUE 45th launch celebration on January 26, 2023
André Heck training Françoise Beeckmans de Westmeerbeeck Image taken from the book 45 Years of Heck in Professional Astronomy written by Joe Hube	SWP echelle wavcal spectrum Image provided by Pierluigi Selvelli
Cecile Gry explains a stressful realtime observation to a visitor Photo from Cecile Gry	Cecile Gry in VILSPA’s RA office in 1984 Photo from Cecile Gry
An aerial view of the VILSPA satellite operations station Image taken from scrolling photos during VILSPA’s IUE 45th launch celebration on January 26, 2023 VILSPA’s castle at sunset Photo from Roberto Gilmozzi	One of VILSPA’s antennas Image taken from scrolling photos during VILSPA’s IUE 45th launch celebration on January 26, 2023

Twice a year, NASA, ESA, and SRC management and staff met to coordinate management, operation, data processing, and calibration for IUE. Initially NASA representatives visited VILSPA in the fall while ESA and UK members visited in spring Goddard for the same purpose. Later the meetings were held in other locations.

The Telescope Operations Console at VILSPA	The computer room at VILSPA
Enjoying dinner in a Madrid restaurant in November 1981 Kate Turnrose, Al Boggess, Ivan Mason, Al Holm, and Bill Crabb Photo by Barry Turnrose	Returning to our hotel after dinner in November 1981 Bill Crabb, Kate and Barry Turnrose, Al Holm, and Ivan Mason Photo by Barry Turnrose

The group photo from the 1985 3-Agency meeting in London
Photo provided by Steve Shore

Final Archive meeting participants. Third from the right is Chris Lloyd,
to the right of him Prab Gondhalekar, and at the far right Dave Giaretta.
In the front row are Michele De La Pena and Joy Nichols.
Image taken from scrolling photos during VILSPA’s
IUE 45th launch celebration on January 26, 2023

When NASA decided to terminate the science operations of IUE at GSFC in 1995, a commemoration ceremony was held. VILSPA operations continued for another year and then they too ended on 30 September 1996.

Invitation to the Commemoration Locations of all IUE observations Yellow for SWP and Red for LW Image from ESA	Highlights of IUE's Contributions to Astrophysics
A GSFC version of the all-sky map of IUE observations was published on the Astronomical Photo of the Day (APOD) on 30 September 1996. You can see it here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960930.html . Sadly, the accompanying write-up has links to NASA pages that no longer exist.	Cathy Imhoff and Joy Nichols with two others at an IUE legacy poster

A celebration of the 30-year anniversary of IUE was held at Goddard’s Recreation Center. Many of the development, management, and operations staff were able to attend. Many people were invited to give short presentations. Food and drink was provided. Former colleagues had the chance to socialize.

Master of Ceremonies Al Boggess	Yoji Kondo, GSFC Project Scientist after Dr. Boggess
Jerry Longanecker, IUE Project Manager	Henry Hoffman, GSFC’s attitude control system expert
Dan Klinglesmith, Data Processing System Manager	Dennis Evans, IUE Instrument Manager
Peter Perry, CSC manager	Charlie Wu
Goddard’s first telescope operations crew Left to right: Charlie Wu, Skip Schiffer, Bill Hathaway, Al Holm, Bill Crabb, and Ruth Ehlers Bradley	The Telescope Operators Muriel Taylor, Steve Walter, Bill Crabb, Bill Hathaway, Rick Wasatonic, Ruth Ehlers Bradley, Matt Garhart, Otto Brugeman, and Jim Caplinger
Keith Kalinowski	RA Nancy Oliversen
GO Warren Moos	Mike Hauser and Ted Stecher
Fred Bruhweiler Photo courtesy of Barry Turnrose	Ralph Bohlin and Nancy Boggess Photo courtesy of Barry Turnrose
IUE 30th Anniversary cake Photo courtesy of Barry Turnrose	Connie and Ted Gull, Emily (Gowing) Boeshaar and Greg Boeshaar Photo courtesy of Barry Turnrose
TO Rick Wasatonic	Al Boggess with Carol Grady

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum curator David DeVorkin visited the IUE operation with a crew to add to the museum’s collections. They obtained a console, minus the electronics, from the Operations Control Center. At the TOC, they collected all the hand-written operations notes we had attached to the Experiment Display System in the TOC and gave us xeroxed copies in exchange.

For a time, the IUE engineering model, the console, and the operations notes were displayed at the main Air and Space Museum on the Mall. Eventually, the exhibit was removed and the EDS exhibit was moved to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. These photos were taken there.

IUE EDS at Udvar-Hazy Center with original operations notes	EDS description at Udvar-Hazy
Engineering test model in a National Air and Space Museum exhibit

The 45th anniversary of the launch of the IUE was celebrated over Zoom on Saturday, 28 January 2023, two days after the actual anniversary. Two meetings were held to accommodate as many veterans of the IUE program as possible. Both meetings had a general session with speakers. The general session was followed by breakout rooms representing different interests.

The talks given during the general sessions were:

George Sonneborn	IUE Toast
Peter Perry	IUE’s earliest days
Ted Gull	Pre-launch thermal flexure fix; invisible target acquisitions
Andrea Dupree	IUE commissioning and other GO experience; Observing SN1987A
Mckenzie Ferrari, introduced by Nancy Evans	Lasting Archives: Combining IUE data with HST/STIS and Gaia
Roberto Gilmozzi	Synergy between IUE and Gaia
Franco Giovannelli	Coordinating observations with IUE and other missions
Jeff Linsky	Some accomplishments of IUE concerning cool stars.
Bob Nelson	IUE’s Role in Understanding the Nature of Solar System objects (second session only)
Gerrie Peters	The IUE GO Experience: Then and Now
Albert Holm	Highly interactive and highly collaborative observations of ZZ Psc (first session only)
Mario Perez	The ULTRASAT Participating Scientist Program (second session only)

Seventy-two participants attended the first session. Click here for a video of the 1st general session
Forty attended the second session. Click here for a video of the 2nd general session

A gallery of some of the participants in the first general session	Participants in the first session breakout room for operations	Participants in the first session breakout room for stars
IUE’s rapid response to the discovery of SN1987A A slide from Andrea Dupree’s presentation	Dupree’s slide about napping during long US1 exposures and being awakened by the alarm or by the 4 AM smell of bacon from the cafeteria
IUE Commissioning Team member Jeff Linsky	The youngest participant, a U Mass student doing archival research with IUE	IUE Commissioning Team member Andrea Dupree

Some of our IUE colleagues - developers, staff, and observers - who have passed away

Michael A’ Hearn (1940-2017) Al Boggess (1929-2020) Erica Bohm-Vitense (1923-2017)	Tom Bolton (1943-2021) Jason A. Cardelli (1955-1996) Angelo Cassatella (1944-2015)	Robert D. Chapman (1938-2021) Peter S. Conti (1934 - 2021) Bruce Coulter ( - 2018)
Reggie Dufour (1948-2021) Walter Feibelman (1930-2004) Paul Feldman (1939-2022)	Jesse L. Greenstein (1909-2002) Kevin Hassett ( -2022) Henry C Hoffman (1925-2013)	James Kaler (1938 -2022) Dan Klinglesmith III (1939-2019) Yoji Kondo (1933-2017)
Lonnie Lane (1939-2019) Gerry Longanecker (1933-2018) Rosalie (Ewald) Marley ( -2022)	Ivan Mason (1929-2019) Andrew G. (Andy) Michalitsianos (1947-1997) Bev Oke (1928 -2004)	Ron Oliversen (1953-2021) Ronald Parise (1951-2008) Michael Penston (1943-1990) Judy Pepoy (1961-2014)
Ronald Pitts (1949-2008) Nick Sanduleak (1933-1990) Blair Savage (1941-2022)	Howard Scott (1946-2020) Sid Brody Len Smith ( -2022)	Anne Underhill (1920-2003) Michael Van Steenberg (1959-2010) Nolan R. Walborn (1944-2018)
Willem Wamsteker (1942-2005) Wayne Warren (1940-2023) Allan J. Willis (1951-2018)	Sir Robert Wilson (1927-2002)

Prepared by Albert Holm, 26 Jan 2023
Updated: 2 February 2024