Spectroscopic imaging capabilities were developed for the two-stage light gas gun (LGG) ballistic test facility at Southwest Research Institute. The LGG is one of the few facilities in the United States that can test hypersonic aerothermodynamics in a quiet environment at flight enthalpies. Several representative articles were tested including cones, right-circular cylinders, double-wedge flared cones, and blunt cones with simulated damage. The optical techniques used in these experiments included traditional (schlieren and high-speed photography) as well as spectrographic and high-speed UV imaging. Relevant flow structures were captured by the schlieren and high-speed cameras while UV imaging was able to capture high temperature entropy layer emissions from excited species. Spectrographic data showed spectral peaks for carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and aluminum species, all of which were expected to be present.