SOFIA: progress to initial science flights

Erick T. Young; Eric Becklin; Pam Marcum; Alfred Krabbe; Helen Hall

doi:10.1117/12.858428

5 August 2010 SOFIA: progress to initial science flights

Erick T. Young, Eric Becklin, Pam Marcum, Alfred Krabbe, Helen Hall

Proceedings Volume 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III; 77330M (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.858428
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a specially modified Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.7- m telescope. Flying above more than 99% of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere, SOFIA will enable observations of large regions of the infrared and submillimeter that are normally opaque to terrestrial observatories. A joint project of NASA and DLR, SOFIA has completed a series of major flight tests leading up to the Initial Science Flights this year. In particular, SOFIA has recently completed its first observations through the telescope. This paper gives an overview of the facility and reports on the recent progress in the development of this major astronomical facility including the First Light observations with the FORCAST infrared camera.

Citation Download Citation

Erick T. Young, Eric Becklin, Pam Marcum, Alfred Krabbe, and Helen Hall "SOFIA: progress to initial science flights", Proc. SPIE 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III, 77330M (5 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.858428

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