14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, the most advanced airborne telescope in the world conducted its first in-flight measurements of the sky. After years of planning and development, and numerous delays caused by various technical challenges and glitches, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is now finally operational, having completed its “first light” test. This term refers to the time when a new telescope conducts its first survey of the sky, on a specific target. SOFIA, hosted on a heavily-modified Boeing 747 jet, took its first pictures on May 26, ScienceDaily reports.
“With this flight, SOFIA begins a 20-year journey that will enable a wide variety of astronomical science observations not possible from other Earth and space-borne observatories. It clearly sets expectations that SOFIA will provide us with 'Great Observatory'-class astronomical science,” says the director of the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Division, Jon Morse. The Great Observatory series also includes Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, and the now-defunct Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO).
SOFIA is bound to fill in the gap between ground- and orbit-based observations. While adjusting some orbital satellites to image certain targets can be difficult, the airborne instrument, with its 100-inch reflecting telescope, is perfectly suited for analyzing any target in the night sky. Additionally, it has the advantage of not being constrained by cloud covers, which oftentimes block the field-of-view of ground-based facilities. Its unprecedented mobility and flight capabilities make SOFIA uniquely qualified to image some of the most mysterious objects in the Universe.
The May 26 flight started in Palmdale, California, from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Aircraft Operations Facility (AOF). Researchers from NASA, Cornell University, the Universities Space Research Association, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI), in Stuttgart, flew on the plane during the first light mission. The entire project is a collaboration between the American space agency and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). During the mission, the aircraft flew to altitudes of up to 35,000 feet, for a span of six hours, all while carrying a crew of 10.
“Wind tunnel tests and supercomputer calculations made at the start of the SOFIA program predicted we would have sharp enough images for front-line astronomical research. A preliminary look at the first light data indicates we indeed accomplished that,” said Pam Marcum, a project scientist for the telescope based at the NASA Ames Research Center, in Moffett Field, California.