SOFIAThis infrared image of the heart of the Orion star-formation complex was taken from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy...This infrared image of the heart of the Orion star-formation complex was taken from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy...Terry Herter, Cornell University's principal investigator for the Faint Object InfraRed Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), mounted on SOFIA's...Former Kuiper Airborne Observatory telescope crew member Allan Meyer studies data as DSI astrophysicist Holgar Jakob looks on during the...Jim De Buizer of USRA, at lower right, studies data with FORCAST's principal investigator Terry Herter, left, while other astronomers...Former Kuiper Airborne Observatory telescope crew member Allan Meyer studies data during the rehearsal Nov. 29, 2010 for the SOFIA...Cornell University scientists Luke Keller, seated, and Justin Schoenwald study data from the Faint Object InfraRed Camera for the SOFIA...This infrared image of the heart of the Orion star-formation complex was taken from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy...Bob Meyer, program manager of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, highlights some of the technical features of the German-built...The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, 747SP basks in the light of a full moon shining over California's...Cornell University's Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope, or FORCAST, is mounted on the telescope during preparation leading...Cornell University's Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope, or FORCAST, is mounted on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared...Terry Herter, principal investigator for Cornell University's FORCAST instrument, and Cornell research associate Joe Adams check the alignment of the...Wispy clouds are illuminated by a bright quarter moon behind the tail of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or...A technician examines the instrument mounting structure and bulkhead of the German-built infrared telescope installed in NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory.Technicians carefully fill the FORCAST camera's dewers with liquid helium to cool the instrument during pre-installation checkout.A sharp eye can pick out faint specks of stars reflected by the 100-inch (2.5 meter) primary mirror on NASA's...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP flies over California's Mojave Desert during a functional check flight Dec. 9, 2009.A rotating external door (white) was installed over the telescope cavity in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA Boeing 747SP...NASA Completes First Checkout Flight of Airborne Observatory WACO, Texas - NASA today successfully completed the first of several planned...This backlit photo of SOFIA's infrared telescope during characterization testing shows the cell-like construction of the telescope's 2.5-meter primary mirror.With the sliding door covering its 2.5-meter infrared telescope open, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 747SP rolls down...NASA's SOFIA flying observatory was captured in striking relief during nighttime telescope characterization tests in Palmdale, Calif., in March 2008.NASA's SOFIA 747SP shows evidence of modification to its aft fuselage contours to accommodate a 16-foot-tall cavity door for its...With its primary mirror covered by a protective sun shade, the German-built infrared telescope nestled in its cavity in the...Scientists carefully examine data being received during nighttime line operations testing of the SOFIA airborne observatory's 2.5-meter infrared telescope.SOFIA program officials representing NASA, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI) line up on the...Composite infrared image of Jupiter from SOFIA's first light flight at wavelengths of 5.4 (blue), 24 (green) and 37 microns...With a protective sun cover over its primary mirror, the high-tech German-built infrared telescope is nested in its framework inside...With a protective cover over its primary mirror, the high-tech German-built infrared telescope is nested in its framework inside the...With the door to the cavity housing its 2.5-meter infrared telescope wide open, NASA's Stratospheric for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 747SP...Erik Lindbergh, grandson of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, rededicated the SOFIA Boeing 747SP as the Clipper Lindbergh at NASA Dryden...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, has arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force...Logos of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are displayed prominently on the tail of the Stratospheric Observatory for...The NASA and German Aerospace Center SOFIA airborne infrared observatory took flight for the first time April 26, 2007, from...In this long-exposure image, the 2.5-meter infrared telescope peers out at a starry sky from its cavity in the rear...Technicians carefully guide SOFIA's primary mirror assembly on its transport cradle into a clean room where it is being prepared...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP lifts off on a test mission from an Air Force Plant 42 runway...An aircraft tug tows NASA's SOFIA infrared observatory 747SP into Hangar 703 upon arrival at its base, the Dryden Aircraft...The 2.5-meter infrared telescope in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA flying observatory tracked the star Polaris during characterization tests...
