The short and long of iPhoton science for a boosted Hubble

Abstract: Boosting the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) will provide unique opportunities to carry out precursor science for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Chief among them are science cases for determining the properties of star forming galaxies that contribute to creating and sustaining the universe in a mostly ionized state. The farUV and nearUV spectroscopic capabilities of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) are unique and unlikely to be replicated in the near future. Here we describe the benefits of a deep panchromatic spectroscopic effort to answer questions concerning the shape of the rest frame ionizing radiation escaping from star forming galaxies at modest redshift, capture crucial missing spectral regions, and explore whether their star formation histories are truly similar to the LyC leakers responsible for initiating and later sustaining the mostly-ionized-state of the universe. An observing program emphasizing multi-orbit observations, unencumbered by HST orbit competition and freely accessible to the wider ionizing photon (iPhoton) community, will catalyze crowd-sourced answers to these questions and offer a lower operating cost price point.