From Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018
The Origins Space Telescope (OST) mission concept study is the subject of one of the four science and technology definition studies supported by NASA Headquarters to prepare for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. OST will survey the most distant galaxies to discern the rise of metals and dust and to unveil the co-evolution of galaxy and blackhole formation, study the Milky Way to follow the path of water from the interstellar medium to habitable worlds in planetary systems, and measure biosignatures from exoplanets. This paper describes the science drivers and how they drove key requirements for OST Mission Concept 2, which will operate between ~5 and ~600 microns with a JWST sized telescope. Mission Concept 2 for the OST study optimizes the engineering for the key science cases into a powerful and more economical observatory compared to Mission Concept 1.
© (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Margaret Meixner, Lee Armus, Cara Battersby, James Bauer, Edwin Bergin, Asantha Cooray, Jonathan J. Fortney, Tiffany Kataria, David T. Leisawitz, Stefanie N. Milam, Klaus Pontoppidan, Alexandra Pope, Karin Sandstrom, Johannes G. Staguhn, Kevin B. Stevenson, Kate Y. Su, Charles Matt Bradford, Dominic Benford, Denis Burgarella, Sean Carey, Ruth C. Carter, Elvire De Beck, Michael J. Dipirro, Kimberly Ennico-Smith, Maryvonne Gerin, Frank P. Helmich, Lisa Kaltenegger, Eric. E. Mamajek, Gary Melnick, Samuel Harvey Moseley, Desika Narayanan, Susan G. Neff, Deborah Padgett, Thomas L. Roellig, Itsuki Sakon, Douglas Scott, Kartik Sheth, Joaquin Vieira, Martina Wiedner, Edward Wright, and Jonas Zmuidzinas, "Overview of the Origins Space telescope: science drivers to observatory requirements," Proc. SPIE 10698, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 106980N (Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation: June 11, 2018; Published: 24 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2312255.