Suspension assembly of SOFIA: the key subsystem connecting the telescope with the aircraft

One of the main requirements for the SOFIA Telescope Assembly is the achievement of a pointing stability of 0.2 arcsec. For ground based telescopes, this does not appear to be a major problem, caused by the use of heavy foundation to stabilize the telescopes to the ground. But since the SOFIA telescope is mounted into an aircraft, a high technology Suspension Assembly is required.