First-Round Test Flights For 747-Based Observatory Finished

SOFIA, or the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, doesn't look much like an observatory. It looks like a 747. But don't that fool you.

Mounted in the fuselage of this bird is an infrared telescope nearly 10 feet wide, weighing almost 19 tons. Once flying, it will help study the origin of stars, the evolution of organic materials in space, and the nature of the black hole in the Milky Way's center.

The project has now reached a significant milestone, NASA says, completing a set of tests with the telescope door closed that help ascertain the highly modified aircraft's limits in areas including aerodynamics, structural integrity, stability and control, and handling qualities.

"SOFIA is already a technological marvel, and will soon be a powerful tool for studying the birth and evolution of planets, stars, and galaxies," said Alan Stern, associate administrator of NASA's Science
Mission Directorate. "The completion of its closed door testing phase is a major milestone on the way to
SOFIA's inaugural science flights next year."

Normal science operations won't begin until 2011, and full operations won't start until 2014. But scientists will be looking forward to seeing what SOFIA's telescope can see next year.

SOFIA Completes Closed-Door Test Flights [NASA]

(Image: SOFIA, housed in a a modified 747SP aircraft. Credit: NASA)