Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors Return to Flight
After a hiatus of 19 months, a dozen AAA teachers returned in late June and early July to participation in STEM immersion experiences at NASA’s Airborne Science Facility in Palmdale, Calif., including flights on SOFIA, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. 650 high school students will benefit this fall from their teachers’ astronomy research experience.
“We are ecstatic to be back in the air again,” said Dr. Dana Backman, the AAA project lead at the SETI Institute.
“SOFIA is so much more than a flying telescope!” said one of the AAA teachers, Susan Rolke of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District in New Hampshire. “During the flight when a situation arose that changed the original flight plan, everyone came together as a team to problem-solve. Everything was focused on working as a team to ensure the success of the mission.”
