HIPO: a high-speed imaging photometer for occultations

HIPO is a special purpose instrument for SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy. It is a high-speed, imaging photometer that will be used for a variety of time-resolved precise photometry observations, including stellar occultations by solar system objects and transits by extrasolar planets. HIPO has two independent CCD detectors and can also co-mount with FLITECAM, an InSb imager and spectrometer, making simultaneous photometry at three wavelengths possible. HIPO's flexible design and high-speed imaging capability make it well suited to carry out initial test observations on the completed SOFIA system, and to this end a number of additional features have been incorporated. Earlier papers have discussed the design requirements and optical design of HIPO. This paper provides an overview of the instrument, describes the instrument's features, and reviews the actual performance, in most areas, of the completed instrument.