The Far-and Lyman-Ultraviolet Imaging Demonstrator (FLUID) is a rocket-borne multi-band arcsecond-level Ultraviolet (UV) imaging instrument covering four bands between 92 – 193 nm. FLUID will observe nearby galaxies to find and characterize the most massive stars, the primary drivers of the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies, and the co-evolution of the surrounding galactic environment. The FLUID short wave channel is designed to suppress efficiency at Lyman alpha wavelengths, while enhancing the reflectivity of shorter wavelengths. Utilizing this technology, FLUID will take the first ever images of local galaxies isolated in the Lyman ultraviolet. As a pathfinder instrument, FLUID will employ and increase TRL of band-selecting UV coatings, and solar-blind UV detector technologies including microchannel plate and solid-state detectors; technologies prioritized in the 2022 NASA Astrophysical Biennial Technology Report. These technologies enable high throughput and high sensitivity observations in four co-aligned UV imaging bands that make up the FLUID instrument. We present the design of FLUID, status on the technology development, and results from initial assembly and calibration of the FLUID instrument.
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