Plans for the SPIRE instrument AIV and calibration

Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver, SPIRE, for the Herschel space telescope due to be launched in 2007 is designed for measurements of high red shift galaxies and investigations of star formation. The instrument comprises an imaging photometer and an imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer. In this paper we present a brief overview of the SPIRE AIV Programme and the test facilities that are being developed. In particular we describe the calibration cryostat that will simulate the thermal environment of the Herschel cryostat, a telescope simulator and a cryogenic vibration facility.