Eric P. Smith (NASA/GSFC)
The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is an 8m, IR-optimized, active optical surface observatory designed to cover the 0.6-10 micron wavelength range with both imagers and spectrographs. It is a key element in NASA's Origins program which seeks to discover and study the origins and evolution of the first stars and galaxies to form after the big bang, processes associated with stellar birth, and the possible origins of life in other stellar systems.
I will review the broad science mission being used to plan and design the NGST, report on the capabilities of the proposed designs and give an update on the current status of the project. The recent months have been busy ones with the selection of two phase-A study contractors and the completion of instrument studies in the US, Europe and Canada. The coming months will see the recommendation by the NGST project scientist for the instrumental suite that should be included in the final configuration of the observatory.