Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 July 2004
The most remarkable future possibilities of stellar spectroscopy and abundanceanalysis are discussed, and their consequences for the further understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis are commented on. It is argued that it will soonbe possible to put the exploration of the origin of the chemical elements andthe study of the chemical evolution of galaxies on a solid empirical ground,through systematic observations of yields from AGB stars and planetary nebulae,Wolf-Rayet stars and supernovae, and of well-determined abundance trends in different stellar populations.