Jan 16 2008
From The Space Library
NASA announced that its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) had passed the first round of flight-testing, after the craft successfully flew five times with its external door closed. The external door is a modification of the craft’s 747SP fuselage. The craft’s 10-foot (3-meter), 19-ton (38,000-pound or 17,237-kilogram) telescope would make observations through the door, collecting data that scientists would be able to use to study the birth and evolution of planets, stars, and galaxies. In addition to confirming SOFIA’s aerodynamics, control, handling, stability, and structural integrity, the tests also assessed the telescope’s tracking abilities. SOFIA, a joint partnership between NASA and the German Aerospace Center, was based at the Aircraft Operations Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, part of NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC).
NASA, “SOFIA Completes Closed-Door Test Flights,” news release 08-010, 16 January 2008, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_08010_SOFIA_Flight_Series_End.html (accessed 7 December 2010).
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