NASA SOFIA: Through the Looking Glass

The NASA logo on Bldg. 703 at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., is reflected in the 2.5-meter primary mirror of the SOFIA observatory's telescope.

SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is an airborne observatory, built to complement the Hubble, Spitzer and Herschel space telescopes, as well as major Earth-based telescopes.

SOFIA features a German-built 100-inch (2.5 meter) diameter far-infrared telescope weighing 20 tons mounted in the rear fuselage of a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. (See SOFIA at DLR) It is one of the premier space science programs of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

SOFIA is a joint program between NASA and the DLR, the German Aerospace Centre.

Image Credit: NASA/Tom Tschida