Abstract : Funds were obtained through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) for the purchase of a hardness machine capable of indenting at elevated temperatures. The instrument selected was the Nikon High Temperature Microhardness Tester, Model QM. This apparatus has an operating range from room temperature to 1600 C, with loads varying from 0.5 to 10 Newtons. The instrument is now installed and fully operational. It represents a very valuable and convenient method of evaluating the indentation properties of ceramics at elevated temperatures. Although presently at a preliminary stage, the indentation creep studies look particularly promising as a means of studying the high temperature mechanical behavior.(jg)