MASSIVE FLYING TELESCOPE SOFIA CELEBRATES DEBUT.

Byline: JIM SKEEN

Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE -- An official coming-out party was held Wednesday for a mammoth flying telescope that researchers hope will help answer key questions about the universe, such as how stars and planets are formed.

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center hosted the debut of SOFIA -- the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy -- a modified Boeing 747 that carries a 45,000-pound telescope.

Dubbed the world's largest portable telescope, SOFIA is intended to fly above 40,000 feet. At that level, it is above 99 percent of atmospheric water vapor that is opaque to infrared telescopes.

"We start where the Hubble leaves off," said Eric Becklin, a UCLA professor of astrophysics who is serving as chief scientist for SOFIA. "With this telescope we will have more clarity on how stars and planets are formed and the nature of black holes."

Unlike a space-based telescope like Hubble, having a telescope on an airplane allows for greater flexibility with missions and it also allows for quicker and less expensive upgrades.

"We can re-invent ourselves every year or every two years," Becklin said.

The airplane underwent major modifications at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in Waco, Texas, where a 16-foot-high opening was cut in its aft fuselage to allow the telescope to look out. A sliding door created "the world's largest sunroof," said company spokesman Lance Martin.

Dryden is managing the flying-telescope program in a partnership with NASA Ames Research Center in Northern California and the German Aerospace Center. More than 100 people will be involved in the program at Dryden.

The initial flight-testing will be done with the door closed. After that flight-testing, additional systems will be installed, including a drive system to open the fuselage door for the telescope, said Bob Meyer, NASA Dryden's deputy director.

Then the airplane will undergo flight-testing with the telescope door open to check aerodynamics and for acoustic resonance, vibrations much like blowing on the top of a coke bottle, Meyer said.

As the open-door flight-testing winds down, project officials hope to begin the initial science missions. Officials are shooting for early 2009 for the initial science missions.

"We'll do a little science, do more flight-testing, and do a little science," Meyer said.

Before arriving at Dryden from Waco, the airplane carrying SOFIA was rededicated as the Clipper Lindbergh on May 21, the 80th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's historic solo flight from New York to Paris. Lindbergh's grandson, Erik, was on hand to re-dedicate the aircraft for the Dryden audience.

"He would have loved this," Lindbergh said of his grandfather. "This is a great example of something that is in keeping with his thirst for knowledge, for exploration, and understanding."

NASA will spend about $1 billion on the program. In exchange, it gets an airplane that does the job of a spacecraft, said Alan Stern, associate administrator for science mission directorate.

After four or five years, SOFIA will be fully operational and flying as many as 960 hours of science observations a year. Program officials hope to get at least 20 years of flights out of the aircraft.

None of Dryden's hangars can handle an aircraft the size of a Boeing 747, so officials are planning to temporarily house the airplane in an Air Force hangar on base. NASA officials are in discussions about possibly housing the aircraft at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale.

james.skeen@dailynews

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If you go

SOFIA will be on display Saturday at the NASA Aerospace Exploration Gallery in the Palmdale Civic Center, 28256 Sierra Highway. Presentations will be given at 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon. The gallery is open to the public from 9 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Admission is free.

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The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, aircraft flies over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747 that carries a 45,000-pound telescope for infrared astronomy.

NASA

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