Ground crewmen shove the more than two-ton SOFIA primary mirror assembly in its transport crate into a C-17’s cavernous cargo…
The main mirror for NASA’s new airborne eye on the universe is now ready for installation after being transformed from…
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP lands at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., following a test flight…
SOFIA’s primary mirror assembly rests in its transportation cradle prior to reinstallation in NASA’s airborne laboratory on Oct. 8, 2008.
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP reached a milestone Dec. 18, 2009, when the doors covering the aircraft’s German-built…
With the sliding door over its 17-ton infrared telescope wide open, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy – or SOFIA…
On a hazy day over Edwards Air Force Base flight test range, A NASA F/A-18 mission support aircraft maintains tight…
A NASA Technician directs loading of the crated SOFIA primary mirror assembly into a C-17 for shipment to NASA Ames…
SOFIA’s primary mirror assembly is cradled on its dolly as technicians prepare to move it into a “clean room” at…
The cavernous expanse of the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., now houses NASA’s DC-8 science laboratory and SOFIA…