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J. M. Shull (CU/CASA), B. D. Savage (U.Wisc.), E. B. Jenkins (Princeton), A. L. Kinney (STScI), A. Dupree (SAO/CFA.), J. Clarke (U.Mich.), T. Heckman (JHU), S. Neff (NASA/GSFC), H. Hasan (NASA/HQ), S. A. Baum (STScI), J. A. Morse (CU/CASA)
Following the August 1998 Boulder conference on ``UV-Optical Space Astronomy Beyond HST'', NASA authorized a study of potential new missions and technology. We describe the discussions of the UVOWG of a moderate mission (ST-2010), a 4--6 m telescope whose core mission is high-throughput UV spectroscopy, with appropriate UV and optical imaging. This instrument should deliver an order-of-magnitude advance in spectroscopic throughput, comparable to the new generation of 8--10 meter ground-based telescopes. This mission can produce forefront science in many areas of modern astronomy, from extragalactic to Galactic and planetary arenas. A theme that dramatically captures the power of this mission is ``The Emergence of the Modern Universe'' at redshifts z < 3. This includes: (1) Assembly of galaxies; (2) Where are the baryons?; (3) How and when were the elements formed? The epoch z < 3 occupies over 80% of cosmological time and covers both the Origins and Evolution of nearly every major astronomical structure, from galaxies and clusters to quasars and the intergalactic medium. ST~2010 will tie together the high-redshift astronomy of NGST to the low-redshift universe, which will be studied in exquisite astrophysical detail by quantitative spectroscopy and imaging. If properly designed, ST~2010 will also connect the near-infrared (NGST) with the optical and ultraviolet universe studied so well by HST.
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