Modified 747SP Will Explore Universe... From FL400
NASA told ANN this week the space agency successfully completed
the first of several planned checkout test flights of the
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft,
a modified Boeing 747SP designed to study the universe in the
infrared spectrum.
The flight took place in Waco, TX to observe the low-speed and
low-altitude handling performance of the aircraft. NASA research
pilot and astronaut Gordon Fullerton led the crew making the
historic first flight.
"Today's first flight of SOFIA is a major milestone for the
program and I want to thank the entire SOFIA team for all of its
hard work over the years in making this first flight a success,"
said Jon Morse, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division
Thursday.
The tests are required prior to the aircraft's ferry flight to
its home base at NASA's Dryden Research Center in Edwards, CA,
tentatively scheduled for late May or early June. Once the aircraft
arrives at Dryden, further development and a series of flight tests
will take place leading up to science observations scheduled for
2009 or 2010.
Prior to this first successful flight, the airplane underwent
major modifications at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in
Waco, TX. To enable the 45,000-pound infrared telescope to scan the
skies, the 747SP was modified by cutting a 16-foot tall opening in
the aft fuselage, and equipping it with a sliding door.
By flying at altitudes above 40,000 feet, this special 747SP
will rise above most atmospheric water vapor to give the 98.4-inch
(2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope clear access to collect
infrared images from space. The telescope can be positioned
anywhere in the skies, unlike ground-based telescopes, and between
science missions it can be serviced and reconfigured as needed to
accomplish world-class astronomy.
SOFIA also will be used to develop observational techniques, new
instrumentation, and to educate young scientists and teachers in
the discipline of infrared astronomy.
SOFIA is a joint international effort by NASA and DLR, the
German Aerospace Center. The aircraft will be based at Dryden.
SOFIA's science center is located at NASA's Ames Research
Center, Moffett Field, CA. The entire effort is supported by
Universities Space Research Association (USRA), a non-profit group
of universities created in 1969 by the National Academy of
Sciences, as well as the Deutsche SOFIA Institute (DSI), Stuttgart,
Germany.
(Photos courtesy NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center)