The study of the interstellar medium has been, and remains, a rich field for exploitation using small missions in the ultraviolet and X-ray spectral regions. I review the history of some such missions (of various sizes), and I also review the capabilities for study of the interstellar medium of “Hot Universe Background Explorer” (HUBE), as it was submitted in the second MIDEX round. A new technique for the three-dimensional visualization of the local interstellar medium is also exhibited.