High Speed Photometer

The High Speed Photometer (HSP) is a scientific instrument formerly installed on the Hubble Space Telescope.

The design was novel in that despite being able to view through a variety of filters and apertures, it had no moving parts "except for electrons" as principal investigator Prof. Robert Bless was fond of saying.

[1] It was functional from launch in 1990 until it was removed at the end of 1993, and it helped diagnose an issue with the Hubble's primary mirror.

[3] Dr. Bless died in 2015, and his contributions to the Hubble Space Telescope and the HSP instrument were noted in news media.

[4] Bless, R. C.; Richards, E. E.; Bosh, A.; Dolan, J. F.; Elliot, J. L.; Nelson, M.; Percival, J. W.; Robinson, E. L.; Taylor, M.; Van Citters, G. W.; White, R. L. (1999).