NuSTAR is an abbreviation for "Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array".
The National Space Institute plays an important part in the mission by coating, calibrating and testing the optic for NuSTAR. The National Space Institue has established a state-of-the-art coating facility for these types of coatings as well as a unique X-ray calibration and test facility with the capability of testing X-ray optics with arcsec precision. The optic uses X-ray supermirrors based on depth graded multilayer structures capable of reflecting X-rays at energies up to 100 keV at reasonable graze angles. The result will be a combination of clarity, sensitivity, and spectral resolution surpassing the largest observatories that have operated in this band by orders of magnitude.
NuSTAR is a NASA mission that has been designed to answer fundamental questions about the universe, such as how black holes are distributed through the cosmos and what powers the most extreme active galaxies. NASA has selected the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) satellite for an extended Phase A study as part of the Small Explorer program.
The mission will launched in February 2012.
Contact persons
Finn Erland Christensen
Carsten Cooper-Jensen.
Responsible:
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