The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR)
Abstract
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission scheduled for launch in February 2012. NuSTAR will be the first focusing high energy satellite sensitive in the hard X-ray band, and will probe the X-ray sky approximately two orders of magnitude more sensitively than currently achievable. NuSTAR will answer fundamental questions about the Universe: How are black holes distributed through the cosmos, and what is their contribution to the cosmic X-ray background? How were the heavy elements forged in the explosions of massive stars? What powers the relativistic jets in the most extreme active galaxies? This poster discusses the NuSTAR design, performance and current status; accompanying posters discuss the baseline two-year science program.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #217
- Pub Date:
- January 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AAS...21725425H