Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy

   

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) on a test flight in 1997. The black square on the fuselage near the tail houses the observatory telescope.
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NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) on a test flight in 1997. The black square on the fuselage near the tail houses the observatory telescope.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint project of NASA and DLR, the German Aerospace Center. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP airliner modified to carry a 2.5 meter diameter infrared reflecting telescope for use as an astronomical observatory at altitudes of about 41,000 feet (~12 km) in the stratosphere. Its flight capability will allow it to rise above almost all of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere (allowing observations of infrared radiation, which is blocked before reaching ground-based facilities), as well as travel to almost any point on the earth's surface for observations. The telescope looks out of a large door in the side of the fuselage near the airplane's tail, and will initially carry nine instruments for infrared astronomy in wavelengths from 0.35–655 micrometres.

The primary science objectives of SOFIA are to study the composition of planetary atmospheres and surfaces; to investigate the structure, evolution and composition of comets; to determine the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium; and to explore the formation of stars and other stellar objects.

SOFIA completed its first airborne "in-sky" test on 18–19 August 2004 by taking a picture of the star Polaris. The observatory is still undergoing test flights. When testing is complete, it is hoped that observing flights will be flown 3 or 4 nights a week for the next 20 years. SOFIA will be based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California (near San Jose, CA).


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