Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
Abstract
The joint US and German SOFIA project to develop and operate a 2.5 - meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP is now in its second year of development. Work on the aircraft and the primary mirror has started. First science flights will begin in 2002 with 20% of the observing time assigned to German investigators. The observatory is expected to operate for over 20 years. The sensitivity, characteristics and science instrument complement are discussed. SOFIA will have facility instrumentation that will allow astronomical surveys that were not possible on the KAO. Two future SOFIA projects related to cosmology and astrochemistry are discussed.
- Publication:
-
The Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium
- Pub Date:
- August 1999
- Bibcode:
- 1999pcim.conf..444B