MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – Reporters are invited to explore NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, 747SP April 20, 2010, at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. The former commercial airliner has been transformed into a flying observatory, outfitted with a German-built 98-inch infrared telescope. Major challenges included the installation of the 17-ton telescope in a 16-foot high cavity cut into the rear fuselage, strengthening of the airframe, installation of the door that opens and closes over the telescope in flight and integration of mission systems. This was followed by a lengthy series of test flights.

WHO: SOFIA program manager Bob Meyer, SOFIA aircraft manager John Carter, chief telescope engineer Thomas Keilig, SOFIA science mission operations director Erick Young

WHAT: Media tours of SOFIA 747SP aircraft

WHERE: NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility, 30th Street East and Avenue P, Palmdale, Calif.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PDT

WHY: SOFIA aircraft is preparing for initial astronomy flights

News media planning to attend must submit a request for accreditation to Beth Hagenauer, Dryden public affairs, at 661-276-7960 / 661-276-3449 or by e-mail to by the following deadlines:

Foreign nationals and U.S. citizens representing foreign-based media – March 29
U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens representing domestic media – April 14

U.S. citizens must provide: full name, date of birth, place of birth, media organization, the last six digits of social security number and driver’s license number, including issuing state. In addition, foreign nationals must furnish: current citizenship, visa or passport number, country of issue and expiration date. Permanent resident aliens must provide their registration number and expiration date.

The SOFIA observatory is a joint NASA and German Space Agency (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR) program. The development program is managed at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., manages SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut, Stuttgart, Germany.

For information about NASA’s SOFIA program, see: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/index.html