How to get my sensor to stay up on my nikon d40?

Okay so my D40 doesn't have a self cleaning sensor. It also doesn't have a setting where I can lock the mirror up. There's an obvious flaw to my sensor (I think it's dust) It's a spot that is ruining all of my pictures. I think I could get it off if I could just figure out how to make the sensor stay up in front of the shutter long enough to clean it. I know there has to be a way to do this I just can't find ANYTHING online about it. I know all the other stuff, like charge your camera, plug it in, make sure you set it to lock mode… Blah blah blah but I can't figure out how to make it so I can actually get to the sensor when I'm not taking a photo? I hope I'm making enough sense here. Let me know if you need additional explanation. Thanks!

Added (1). Okay, I know there's a mirror that goes up, my issue is beyond the mirror. It's behind the mirror where the sensor is. When I take a photo the mirror goes up (of course) and then there's a shutter, in front of the shutter is what I believe to be the sensor, it goes up for the amount of time that it takes to take a picture then returns to the inside of the camera. I don't know what setting to set it to or what to push or pull to make the sensor not return back into the camera so I can clean it.
I would take it to a professional but I need my camera today for a family portrait that I'm taking. Plus I don't like paying someone to do something I will eventually have to learn to do regardless.
Thanks everyone for the responses… I will have to just keep trying to figure this out I guess.

Added (2). I finally figured it out! Okay there's a setting on my camera that allows for a simpler menu, I had to set that back to normal menu. I bought this camera used. Then I set the mirror to lock. Everyone is going to be mortified but took a q tip and gently cleaned off this rather stubborn dot of dust or something. But it all worked out just fine, I think the sensor is actually a little more durable then believed to be. In my situation it honestly could only get better, this dust or dot of dirt was stubborn and large on my photos. All is good now and thank you to fhotoace for telling to go to the manual and look and providing the link and page. (I don't own a manual). Thanks everyone, glad it's fixed and really clean now!

It's the mirror that goes up. If the sensor went up, you wouldn't be able to capture anything.

Bulb. All dSLR's have it. It's marked as Bu in the shutter settings. The mirror stays up as long as you are pressing the button.

Look on page 86 of your cameras user manual. Your mirror can be locked up so you can clean your cameras sensor.

Do NOT touch the sensor.

Here is a link that tells you how to clean it.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...eaning.htm

And more of dealing with dust on sensors.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...t-2007.htm

I would suggest that you take your camera into a qualified camera shop (NOT bestbuy/walmart) and let them clean the sensor.

If you decide to do it yourself, it is covered in your camera manual on pages 86 & 105 (although Nikon recommends that you have it professionally serviced)… Http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D40_noprint.pdf

EDIT: I corrected the link to the manual. Read page 105 for the instructions.