Science and Technology Blog

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy or SOFIA, doesn’t look much like an observatory but like a Boeing 747 airplane.

Mounted in the Boeing 747SP fuselage is an infrared telescope nearly 10 feet wide, weighing almost 19 tons. Once flying, it will help study the origin of stars, the evolution of organic materials in space, and the nature of the black hole in the Milky Way’s center.

The project has now reached a important milestone, NASA says, finishing a set of tests with the telescope door closed that help determine the highly modified aircraft’s limits in areas including aerodynamics, structural integrity, stability and control, and handling qualities.

“SOFIA is already a technological marvel, and will soon be a powerful tool for studying the birth and evolution of planets, stars, and galaxies,” said Alan Stern, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “The completion of its closed door testing phase is a major milestone on the way to SOFIA’s inaugural science flights next year.”

Normal science operations will begin after 2011, and full operations will start after 2014.

(Image above: NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, lifted off from Edwards Air Force Base at mid-day Thursday, Oct. 11, on the first in a series of flight tests intended to verify the flight performance of the highly modified Boeing 747SP to its design capability. NASA photo / Tony Landis)

Source: Wired