NASA has dedicated
a unique flying astronomical observatory to pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh
on the 80th anniversary of his historic transatlantic flight.
Erik
Lindbergh, the pilot's grandson, joined NASA for today's event, which was held
in Waco, Texas.
NASA's new Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a highly modified Boeing 747SP—a
shorter-fuselage, 1970s-vintage version of the original 747—that carries a
45,000-pound infrared telescope system.
The
original operator of the 747SP, Pan American Airways, first christened it Clipper
Lindbergh in 1977. NASA has revived the name to dedicate the flying
observatory in Charles Lindbergh's honor.
The SOFIA aircraft was modified at L-3 Systems in Waco and is wrapping up a series of
functional checkout flights before heading to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center,
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for further tests and systems integration.
Erik
Lindbergh unveiled a plaque commemorating the Clipper Lindbergh
dedication. "This project is a fantastic blend of a 20th-century
legacy aircraft and a 21st-century platform for exploration," he
said.
Intended to
fly above 40,000 feet, SOFIA will lift its infrared telescope above nearly 99
percent of the Earth's atmospheric water vapor, greatly enhancing the aerial
observatory's abilities to study the cosmos. Its state-of-the-art telescope
will be able to carry out scientific missions with greater flexibility and ease
of upgrade than a satellite-borne observatory.
The German Aerospace Center is a partner in the SOFIA project, providing the telescope. NASA
modified the aircraft. NASA had L-3 Systems cut a 16-foot-high opening into the
747SP's aft fuselage to permit observations to be made at altitude.
Once it
arrives at Dryden, SOFIA will continue flight and systems testing for about two
years while its observatory system hardware and software are integrated with
the aircraft. The telescope's first images are expected in 2009.
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