10 years ago
The Jet With a 17-Ton Telescope That NASA Uses as a Flying Observatory
SOFIA is a heavily modified Boeing 747, with a 17-ton, 8-foot telescope mounted behind a 16-by-23-foot sliding door that reveals the infrared telescope to the skies. The plane’s ability to fly near the edges of the atmosphere gives it better visibility than ground-based observatories. And the fact that it makes regular appearances on Earth’s surface, unlike a space telescope, means it can easily be repaired or reprogrammed when necessary.
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