Now you can print your own 3-D model of SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. With the help of the staff of the NASA Ames SpaceShop Rapid Prototyping Facility, the SOFIA mission team created an eight-piece, 3-D printable model of the modified 747SP aircraft, its telescope and cabin.
The printable files are at a 1/200 scale, with a removable upper fuselage section to reveal interior details, including the flying mission control center in the cabin, interchangeable science instruments and both open- and closed-telescope door configurations. The model has been simplified for durability and printing where needed.
Details, printing instructions and files are available: https://go.nasa.gov/2nqcwex
SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703, in Palmdale, California.