NuSTAR (SMEX 11) [NASA] NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope
Array) is a X-ray survey mission, which is first satellite to
fly a focussing X-ray telescope in space for energies in the
8-80 keV.range. NuSTAR will survey this energy band for X-ray
emission from quasars and Galactic black hole binaries, and
obtain spectra of hard X-ray emission from supernova remnants
and study the spectral lines created by nuclear transitions
which dominate this spectral range. NuSTAR is a pointed
telescope, which will be launched by a Pegasus-XL into a low-
Earth, equatorial orbit from Kwajalein. The planned mission will
last for three years, although less than half that time is
required to meet the core science goals. NuSTAR will ordinarily
follow a preprogrammed observation plan, but will have the
capability of responding to transient opportunities within a day
of notification. The NuSTAR instrument consists of an array of
two co-aligned hard X-ray telescopes. The grazing incidence
mirrors focus onto two shielded solid-sta