  The World Space Observatory is an unconventional space project proceeding via
distributed studies. The present design, verified for feasibilty, consists of a
1.7-meter telescope operating at the second Largangian point of the Earth-Sun
system. The focal plane instruments consist of three UV spectrometers covering
the spectral band from Lyman alpha to the atmospheric cutoff with R~55,000 and
offering long-slit capability over the same band with R~1,000. In addition, a
number of UV and optical imagers view adjacent fields to that sampled by the
spectrometers. Their performance compares well with that of HST/ACS and the
spectral capabilities of WSO rival those of HST/COS.
