SOFIAIn stark contrast with the deep blue sky at high altitude, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP checks out...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is silhouetted against the sky as it soars on its second check flight near...NASA's Boeing 747SP SOFIA airborne observatory soars over a bed of puffy clouds during its second checkout flight over the...The lower flexible door (white) over the telescope cavity in the rear fuselage of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy...Composite infrared image of the central portion of galaxy M82, from SOFIA's First Light flight, at wavelengths of 20 (blue),...The SOFIA 747SP airborne observatory takes off from Waco, Texas, on its way to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in...This in-flight photo was taken during the first flight of the NASA and German Aerospace Center SOFIA airborne infrared observatory...Tiny two-inch string tufts blanket the telescope cavity door and related fairings to aid visual monitoring of airflow patterns during...NASA's SOFIA infrared observatory lifts off on the first of a series of test flights to verify the flight performance...NASA's SOFIA infrared observatory in flight for the first of a series of test flights to verify the flight performance...NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory is shadowed by a NASA F/A-18 safety chase aircraft during its second checkout flight near Waco,...More than 250 VIPs, news media, and guests joined NASA, DLR, USRA, and other SOFIA staff for the debut of...NASA's now-retired Kuiper Airborne Observatory shared the limelight with its successor, the SOFIA observatory, during an open house at Ames...Cornell University mechanical engineer Chuck Henderson makes adjustments on the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) during...Technicians George Gull and Charlie Kaminski of USRA wheel the FORCAST infrared camera and its associated electronics into place in...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was airborne for almost two hours during its first check flight at Waco,...NASA's SOFIA aircraft project manager John Carter is interviewed by Molly Hermann, Rob Lyall and Jason Boswell for a planned...Sandwiched between the deep blue of the high-altitude sky and the Southern California mountains, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy...NASA's modified Boeing 747SP SOFIA airborne observatory taxis along the runway at Waco, Texas after completing its first checkout flight...With the door to the cavity housing its 2.5-meter infrared telescope wide open, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)...Erik Lindbergh unveils a plaque commemorating his grandfather to dedicate the 747 Clipper Lindbergh, a NASA airborne infrared observatory known...Scientists and telescope operators focus on data readouts set up inside NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory during telescope characterization tracking tests.NASA's SOFIA infrared observatory 747SP overflies its home, the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, California.Erik Lindbergh christens NASA's 747 Clipper Lindbergh with a special commemorative concoction representing local, NASA, and industry partners.Erik Lindbergh unveils a plaque commemorating his grandfather to dedicate the 747 Clipper Lindbergh, a NASA airborne infrared observatory known...NASA's SOFIA flying infrared observatory banks over the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility upon arrival at its new base of operations...Composite infrared image of Jupiter from SOFIA's first light flight at wavelengths of 5.4 (blue), 24 (green) and 37 microns...Technicians guide removal of the upper rigid door assembly that covers the telescope cavity on NASA's SOFIA 747SP in preparation...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope.SOFIA's primary mirror is placed in the telescope cavity for reinstallation prior to telescope adjustments preparing SOFIA for first science.Engineers and technicians from NASA, the German Space Agency and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut recently reinstalled the German-built primary mirror...The 2.5-meter infrared telescope peers out from its cavity in the SOFIA airborne observatory during nighttime line operations testing at...The SOFIA airborne observatory's 2.5-meter infrared telescope peers out from its cavity in the SOFIA rear fuselage during nighttime line...NASA's SOFIA infrared observatory touches down at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA, as it arrives at its new...The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy's 747SP is illuminated prior to nighttime testing and operation of the German-built telescope assembly....The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy's 747SP sits on an aircraft ramp during nighttime testing and operation of the SOFIA's...The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy science team completed checkout of optical star tracking camera systems and conducted telescope assembly...The high-tech German-built infrared telescope and its associated lower flexible telescope cavity door are rotated upward to their maximum 58-degree...NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, 747SP flies above California's Mojave Desert during a functional check flight Dec....ED09-0279-15 This close up of SOFIA's German-built telescope assembly offers a view of both the primary and secondary mirrors, the...