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H.S. Stockman (Space Telecope Science Institute), J.C. Mather (NASA's GSFC Code 685)
The NGST Design Reference Mission (DRM) defines the key science goals for the NGST observatory. In 1999, the Ad Hoc Science Working Group (ASWG) refined and prioritized the 22 programs in the DRM. The top two programs, deep imaging and spectroscopic surveys of high redshift galaxies, emphasize the unique and important role that NGST will play in the near infrared (NIR) study of the origins of the first stars and galaxies. The top 7 programs include supernova and weak lensing surveys, determination of the epoch of reionization, imaging and spectroscopic studies of protostars, and mid-infrared (MIR, 5-28 \mum) surveys of heavily obscured star formation regions such as ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We describe the DRM, the prioritization process, and the role that the DRM plays in the selection and allocation of instrumental capabilities among the international partners (NASA, ESA, and CSA). NGST is a central mission in the NASA search for astronomical origins. For additional information, readers are encouraged to visit the NASA and STScI websites: http://ngst.gsfc.nasa.gov/, http://www.ngst.stsci.edu/.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: stockman@stsci.edu