The airborne observatory may otherwise get mothballed

Apr 2, 2014 07:08 GMT  ·  By

Officials with the American space agency have yesterday, April 1, issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking for partners in operating the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The airborne observatory is to be mothballed in fiscal year 2015, if Congress approves the current budget request. This would be bad because the asset only became fully-operational this year. 

SOFIA is a collaborative project between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR). The American agency contributes around 80 percent of the funds needed to develop, build and operate the heavily-modified Boeing 747SP wide-body aircraft that houses the infrared telescope. NASA and DLR have been working on this project since 1996.

The main instrument aboard the airborne facility is a 2.5-meter (98-inch) Bent Cassegrain infrared telescope, which is aided by a chopping secondary mirror and a flat-folding tertiary mirror. All optical systems in this project were provided by the DLR through the DSI (Deutsches SOFIA Institut). SOFIA saw its first light mid-flight on May 26, 2010.

The main feature of the observatory is that it can fly to an altitude of up to 13.7 kilometers (45,000 feet), which puts it above 90 percent of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. These vapors are what hinder ground-based observations in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Being airborne allows this asset to conduct such studies from any location in the world.

SOFIA is currently housed at, and operated from, the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, at the Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in Palmdale, California. However, with the FY2015 budget proposal looming over its head, the project is likely to meet a premature end before it has even started properly.

This is why NASA has issued the current RFI. The agency is interested in finding potential partners to augment its existing collaboration with the DLR. “Partnerships on various levels will be considered. Partnerships could range from joining as a major partner to securing flights on a night-by-night basis,” the document states.

“Costs are estimated at approximately $1 [million] (€720,000) per night for a dedicated mission. Due to the current budget situation, partnership arrangements would be initiated immediately in order to be in place prior to the start of the next fiscal year (October 1, 2014),” officials from the agency add.

All interested agencies, research institutes or universities are called upon to submit their proposals to NASA before May 1, 2014. This should give the American and German space agencies ample time to make the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth transition in SOFIA operations.