HEADNEWS: THE ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER OF THE
HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS DIVISION OF THE AAS
|
Newsletter No. 98, June 2011 |
Back to Contents
12. NuSTAR Mission News - Daniel Stern (JPL) & Fiona Harrison (Caltech)
NuSTAR, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, is a NASA Small
Explorer (SMEX) mission which will provide the first focused
observations in the 5 to 80 keV hard X-ray window. NuSTAR, currently
in Phase D, is on track for its scheduled Pegasus launch from
Kwajalein Atoll in February 2012.
The NuSTAR instrument, including the optics modules, focal planes
and extendable mast, successfully completed integration and testing
at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in April 2011. It
then shipped to Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia
where it is currently undergoing integration and testing with the
spacecraft. At the end of the Summer, the fully integrated instrument
plus spacecraft will ship to Vandenberg Air Force Base for integration
with the launch vehicle.
On the science front, the science team is optimizing and finalizing the
observation plan for the baseline two years of NuSTAR operations.
For more information about the NuSTAR mission, visit
http://www.nustar.caltech.edu.
Back to Contents
| |