Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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In 1997, NASA bought a Boeing 747SP for what might be both a super cool and super absurd purpose. Turn it into SOFIA, a flying telescope.

Hosted by: Savannah Geary (they/them)
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Sources:

worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/S225117171840010X [PDF]
worldscientific.com/doi/full/10.1142/S225117171840007X
https://www.sofia.usra.edu/sites/default/files/Other/Documents/science_case-final.pdf [PDF]
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-9302-1_14
https://www.sofia.usra.edu/sites/default/files/97-Whiting_AeroHistory.pdf [PDF]
https://www.sofia.usra.edu/sites/default/files/Other/Documents/OH-Cycle6.pdf [PDF]
spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/4857/0000/The-SOFIA-aircraft-and-its-modification/10.1117/12.472490.short
dglr.de/publikationen/2015/370363.pdf [PDF]
https://www.gauss-centre.eu/results/computational-and-scientific-engineering/simulation-of-the-unsteady-flow-around-the-stratospheric-observatory-for-infrared-astronomy-sofia
ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19670004876/downloads/19670004876.pdf [PDF]
dsi.uni-stuttgart.de/forschende/texte/ejp_0143-0807_34_6_S161.pdf [PDF]
oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-20-022.pdf [PDF]
nasa.gov/feature/nasa-partner-decide-to-conclude-sofia-mission

Images

nasa.gov/content/about-the-hubble-story
svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12673
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SOFIA_Boeing_747SP_1998AC0014.jpg
youtube.com/watch?v=ahC0fN_XzeU&ab_channel=NASAArmstrongFlightResearchCenter
gettyimages.com/detail/video/sunset-flight-stock-footage/162840563?adppopup=true
dlr.de/content/en/articles/missions-projects/sofia/sofia-infrared-observatory.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SOFIA_Observatory_Conducts_Night_Checkout_Flight.ogv
nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2012/12-62AR.html
gettyimages.com/detail/video/early-sunrise-airplane-takeoff-stock-footage/1320456232?adppopup=true
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SOFIA_shows_its_telescope_door.jpg
nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-096-DFRC.html