The Wide Field Camera 3 project was originally conceived as a way to provide a backup imaging capability for HST during the second decade of the HST mission. During the later phases of study for the instrument, it became very clear that there are some key scientific questions that we can easily tailor the instrument to address.

A main theme for WFC3 science is the ability to do large-field, panchromatic imaging. As revealed by recent HST and other studies, the spectral characteristics of galactic populations pushes the discovery space into the red and blue extremes of HST capability. These are the regions that WFC3 is designed to explore.

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) is a radial instrument. It is designed to replace the Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) which was installed in the HST during the First Servicing Mission (FSM) in December 1993. WFC3 is designed to use as much of the HST field-of-view as possible for such an instrument. WFC3 is designed to operate over the wavelength range of 200 nm to 1800 nm, from Near Ultraviolet to Near Infrared. WFC3 will have greater throughput and sensitivity than WFPC2, and will be nearly as good as ACS in the areas where ACS excels.

Wide Field Camera 3 represents more than an instrument. It also represents an optimized approach to the development of orbital science instruments. In an age of declining budgets, the WFC3 project is designed to take advantage of much of the hardware, software, and experience of the previous instruments. WF/PC (1) was returned following the FSM and many of its assemblies are available for re-use. Flight spares of optical components are also available and can be used in WFC3 at minimal cost. The teams of Government, Academia, and Industry who worked to successfully build WF/PC (1) and WFPC2 are working together again to bring us WFC3, leveraging their expertise and experience to provide a superior instrument at modest cost.

The WF/PC(1) being de-integrated at NASA/GSFC in early 1999.