NGST NIRCam Scientific Program and Design Concept

Abstract

The science program for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) relies heavily on a high performance nearinfrared imager. A design which supports the observations outlined in the Design Reference Mission (DRM) and which also supports enhanced searches for "first light" objects and planets has been developed. Key features of the design include use of refractive optics to minimize the volume and mass required, tunable filters for spectroscopic imaging, and redundant imagers for fail-safe wavefront sensing.