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arXiv · 1301.7307

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Mission

Fiona A. Harrison·William W. Craig·Finn E. Christensen·Charles J. Hailey·Will W. Zhang·Steven E. Boggs·Daniel Stern·W. Rick Cook·Karl Forster·Paolo Giommi·Brian W. Grefenstette·Yunjin Kim·Takao Kitaguchi·Jason E Koglin·Kristin K. Madsen·Peter H. Mao·Hiromasa Miyasaka·Kaya Mori·Matteo Perri·Michael J. Pivovaroff·Simonetta Puccetti·Vikram R. Rana·Niels J. Westergaard·Jason Willis·Andreas Zoglauer·Hongjun An·Matteo Bachetti·Nicolas M. Barriere·Eric C. Bellm·Varun Bhalerao·Nicolai F. Brejnholt·Felix Fuerst·Carl C. Liebe·Craig B. Markwardt·Melania Nynka·Julia K. Vogel·Dominic J. Walton·Daniel R. Wik·David M. Alexander·Lynn R. Cominsky·Ann E. Hornschemeier·Allan Hornstrup·Victoria M. Kaspi·Greg M. Madejski·Giorgio Matt·Silvano Molendi·David M. Smith·John A. Tomsick·Marco Ajello·David R. Ballantyne·Mislav Balokovic·Diddier Barret·Franz E. Bauer·Roger D. Blandford·W. Niel Brandt·Laura W. Brenneman·James Chiang·Deepto Chakrabarty·Jerome Chenevez·Andrea Comastri·Martin Elvis·Andrew C. Fabian·Duncan Farrah·Chris L. Fryer·Eric V. Gotthelf·Jonathan E. Grindlay·David J. Helfand·Roman Krivonos·David L. Meier·Jon M. Miller·Lorenzo Natalucci·Patrick Ogle·Eran O. Ofek·Andrew Ptak·Stephen P. Reynolds·Jand R. Rigby·Gianpiero Tagliaferri·Stephen E. Thorsett·Ezequiel Treister·C. Megan Urry
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Abstract

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission, launched on 13 June 2012, is the first focusing high-energy X-ray telescope in orbit. NuSTAR operates in the band from 3 -- 79 keV, extending the sensitivity of focusing far beyond the ~10 keV high-energy cutoff achieved by all previous X-ray satellites. The inherently low-background associated with concentrating the X-ray light enables NuSTAR to probe the hard X-ray sky with a more than one-hundred-fold improvement in sensitivity over the collimated or coded-mask instruments that have operated in this bandpass. Using its unprecedented combination of sensitivity, spatial and spectral resolution, NuSTAR will pursue five primary scientific objectives, and will also undertake a broad program of targeted observations. The observatory consists of two co-aligned grazing-incidence X-ray telescopes pointed at celestial targets by a three-axis stabilized spacecraft. Deployed into a 600 km, near-circular, 6degree inclination orbit, the Observatory has now completed commissioning, and is performing consistent with pre-launch expectations. NuSTAR is now executing its primary science mission, and with an expected orbit lifetime of ten years, we anticipate proposing a guest investigator program, to begin in Fall 2014.

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Fiona A. Harrison, William W. Craig, Finn E. Christensen, Charles J. Hailey, Will W. Zhang, Steven E. Boggs, Daniel Stern, W. Rick Cook, Karl Forster, Paolo Giommi, Brian W. Grefenstette, Yunjin Kim, Takao Kitaguchi, Jason E Koglin, Kristin K. Madsen, Peter H. Mao, Hiromasa Miyasaka, Kaya Mori, Matteo Perri, Michael J. Pivovaroff, Simonetta Puccetti, Vikram R. Rana, Niels J. Westergaard, Jason Willis, Andreas Zoglauer, Hongjun An, Matteo Bachetti, Nicolas M. Barriere, Eric C. Bellm, Varun Bhalerao, Nicolai F. Brejnholt, Felix Fuerst, Carl C. Liebe, Craig B. Markwardt, Melania Nynka, Julia K. Vogel, Dominic J. Walton, Daniel R. Wik, David M. Alexander, Lynn R. Cominsky, Ann E. Hornschemeier, Allan Hornstrup, Victoria M. Kaspi, Greg M. Madejski, Giorgio Matt, Silvano Molendi, David M. Smith, John A. Tomsick, Marco Ajello, David R. Ballantyne, Mislav Balokovic, Diddier Barret, Franz E. Bauer, Roger D. Blandford, W. Niel Brandt, Laura W. Brenneman, James Chiang, Deepto Chakrabarty, Jerome Chenevez, Andrea Comastri, Martin Elvis, Andrew C. Fabian, Duncan Farrah, Chris L. Fryer, Eric V. Gotthelf, Jonathan E. Grindlay, David J. Helfand, Roman Krivonos, David L. Meier, Jon M. Miller, Lorenzo Natalucci, Patrick Ogle, Eran O. Ofek, Andrew Ptak, Stephen P. Reynolds, Jand R. Rigby, Gianpiero Tagliaferri, Stephen E. Thorsett, Ezequiel Treister, C. Megan Urry. 2013-01-30. The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Mission. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x/770/2/103

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