Update (08.30.2013): SPICE v2.5.1 was released.

- The default Linux and Solaris installation files were updated to "generic" versions that ask the user to specify the local Java, fixing a potential problem with newer Java versions.

- An invalid keyword written to spect.tbl files was corrected.

Update (11.07.2011): SPICE v2.5.0 was released. This version is compatible with Mac OSX 10.7 (Lion). It also features an upgraded version of Optimal Extraction. Finally, several improvements have been made to the GUI:

- Users may now use a mouse to interactively adjust the bias and contrast of fits images that are displayed by SPICE.

- Users may now overlay a mask file on top of a two-dimensional spectral image to visualize flagged pixels. The user has the option of specifying which flags to identify on the overlay.

- Users now have an option to trim the orders in the final calibrated spectrum output by SPICE. SPICE provides a default set of trim ranges in a file which can be edited by the user. The order trimming functionality has also been added to the "Preview Spectrum" option so that a user may upload any IRS spectrum, plot it, and trim the orders if desired.

Update (01.07.2011): SPICE v2.4.0 was released with new calibration files for the S18.18 version of the IRS pipeline.

Update (02.01.2010): SPICE v2.3.0 was released. This version features several improvements to the GUI:

- Users may now preview the ridge location on the 2D spectral image before running the Ridge Module.

- The procedure for viewing a 2D image of the sky (e.g from 2MASS) with a slit overlay has been simplified and improved.

- The ridge preview positions indicated in the main SPICE flow, the 2D spectral image, and the IRS focal plane overlay on the 2D sky image now all automatically update when any one is modified.

- By right-clicking on the bottom tab of a SPICE flow, the user can now save namelists, locate namelists on disk, and open output directories.

- In the 2D spectral pane, the panel containing the layers of the image (e.g. Base Image, FOV, Ridge Preview, Overlay) can now be moved from the default right side to the top, left, or bottom.

- When a different input image is loaded, the Profile, Extract, and Tune plots from the previous run disappear.

Update (05.12.2009): The latest version of SPICE (v2.2) has been released, with new calibration files and a number of changes to the GUI visualization options. The wavelength calibration files have been updated for S18.7 processed data. The primary change is to the wavsamp.tbl files for LL, SH, and LH, implementing improved wavelength calibration solutions. The visualization tools within the SPICE GUI have also been updated to include a number of new Overlay options, including overlaying spectra and line lists from file. See the SPICE User's Guide for a full description of the new Overlay capabilities.

Update (11.07.2008): The files used for extended source calibration of S17.2 IRS Long-High data in SPICE have been updated. This update does not affect point source calibration with SPICE, nor any data available via the archive. Please note that this and future updates only support Solaris 10+.

Manual release (07.23.2008): The latest version of the SPICE manual (pdf) has been released.

Update (04.16.2008): The LH spectral extraction algorithm and corresponding flux calibration has been updated for S17.2 pipeline-processed data. Please see the IRS Pipeline History Log for a detailed description of the changes. Most notably, the flux values (in e/sec) for LH delivered by the Extract module (Regular or Optimal) are now divided by the height (measured along the spectrum in pixels) of the extraction window, as set by the wavsamp wavelength calibration file. This change improves the order matching in *_extract.tbl spectra, but does not have much effect on the final, flux calibrated, *_spect.tbl spectra delivered by Tune. These updates do not pertain to any of the other modules. Note: This is the final update for which Solaris 8 will be supported. Future updates will support only Solaris 10.

Update (01.07.2008): New calibration files for SPICE have been released for S17. If you have AutoUpdate enabled in SPICE, these new files will be updated automatically the next time you restart the SPICE GUI. The update is in two parts, so after the first update, SPICE will immediately prompt you to update a second time. The second update may take a while before SPICE restarts, so please be patient. To turn on AutoUpdate, start SPICE and go to Options >> Use Automatic Spice Version Update.

Update (08.24.2007): The new SPICE GUI has now been released! We encourage all users to update to the new version, which has the same "Look & Feel" as Spot, Leopard, and the new MOPEX GUI. Functionality remains exactly the same as before.