Re: How is NASA Sofia?

An email to the SOFIA mailing list sent out on Friday Dec 18 said:

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, achieved a major milestone on Dec. 18, 2009, when the aircraft's telescope cavity door was fully opened for the first time in flight. This test originated from the Dryden Aircraft Operating Facility at Palmdale, Calif., and enabled SOFIA's engineers to understand how airflows interact in and around the telescope.

"Today we opened the telescope cavity door, the first time we have fully exposed the telescope and the largest cavity ever flown while in flight," said Bob Meyer, SOFIA program manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. "This is a significant step toward certifying NASA's next great observatory for future study of the universe."

The next phase of testing for the flying observatory will see two flights in spring 2010 to verify the scientific capabilities of the telescope assembly. The vibration isolation system, the inertial stabilization system, and the pointing control system will be tested during daytime flights. These tests will lead to the "first light" flight planned for spring 2010. The "first light" flight will be the initial opportunity scientists have to use the telescope and it begins the process of quantifying SOFIA for its planned 20-year science program.

Links to still photos and video of the open door test flights can be seen at:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/home/index.html

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