http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/nustar/main/index.html en-us
"Today was a great day for NuSTAR, a great day for Pegasus -- a great day for the entire launch team," said Assistant Launch Director Tim Dunn.

"We thank Orbital Sciences for the ride, and we're ready to get into the science portion of the NuSTAR mission."

With launch complete, this concludes today's live coverage. For ongoing NuSTAR mission coverage, visit http://ww.nasa.gov/nustar.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:33:56 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:23:38 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:17:06 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:14:49 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:11:51 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:10:39 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:09:41 GMT
The rocket's second stage has finished its burn and the vehicle is beginning a six-minute, 10-second coast phase lasting until about nine minutes into the flight. Stage 2 will separate at the end of the coast phase, seconds before Stage 3 ignition.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:04:08 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:02:49 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:01:11 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:59:45 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:57:05 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:54:03 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:50:34 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:43:47 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:37:19 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:26:43 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:18:13 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:09:37 GMT
Drop and launch of the Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft remains on schedule for 12 p.m.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:00:51 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:58:55 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:54:56 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:47:14 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:41:21 GMT
But right now, the Pegasus XL remains secured to the bottom of the carrier aircraft, set to take off from the Kwajalein Atoll at about 11 a.m. with a drop time of 12 p.m.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:30:28 GMT
On the electromagnetic spectrum, high-energy X-rays are beyond the scope of visible light, and are challenging to detect. NuSTAR's advanced design uses two sets of 133 thin, nested shells of mirrors to capture the X-rays as they bounce off the reflecting surfaces at glancing angles.

The expected result is an orbiting observatory enabling astronomers to see the universe in an additional band of light, advancing our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve.

NuSTAR's science mission begins about 30 days after launch.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:19:36 GMT
Note: Throughout the blog, milestone times will be given in EDT, but each blog post is timestamped with your local time.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:09:47 GMT
Most rockets launch vertically with ignition at T-0. Pegasus, however, is attached to the underside of an L-1011 carrier aircraft known as "Stargazer," which carries the rocket to a preferred drop point and releases it at launch time. Today, the aircraft will drop the Pegasus 117 miles south of Kwajalein at an altitude of 39,000 feet. Liftoff is set for 12 p.m. EDT -- 4:00 a.m. Marshall Islands Time (MHT).

Takeoff of the Stargazer is planned for 11:00 a.m. EDT, about one hour prior to launch. Weather is not expected to be a concern during today's countdown: the forecast predicts a 99 percent chance of favorable conditions.]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:59:35 GMT Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:24:31 GMT