Michael Mewhinney
May 21, 2007
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: 650-604-3937
E-mail: Michael.Mewhinney@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 07- 26AR

NASA REDEDICATES FLYING OBSERVATORY ON LINDBERGH ANNIVERSARY

WACO, Texas - Monday, NASA dedicated a unique astronomy aircraft to
pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh on the 80th anniversary of his
historic transatlantic flight. Erik Lindbergh, the pilot's grandson,
joined NASA for the event May 21, in Waco, Texas.

NASA's new Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
is a highly modified 747 airliner that carries a 45,000-pound
infrared telescope system. Pan American Airways originally christened
the plane the "Clipper Lindbergh" in 1977. At the rededication
ceremony, NASA officials discussed the similarities between
Lindbergh's accomplishments and SOFIA's potential to capture
scientifically important infrared images unavailable to earthbound
telescopes. The SOFIA aircraft was modified at L-3 Systems in Waco
and is wrapping up a series of functional checkout flights before
heading to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force
Base, Calif., for further tests and systems integration.

Erik Lindbergh unveiled a plaque commemorating Clipper Lindbergh.
"This project is a fantastic blend of a 20th century legacy aircraft
and a 21st century platform for exploration," he said.

Intended to fly above 40,000 feet, SOFIA will place its infrared
telescope above nearly 99 percent of the Earth's atmospheric water
vapor, greatly enhancing its abilities to study the cosmos. Its
state-of-the-art telescope will be able to carry out scientific
missions with greater flexibility and ease of upgrade than a
satellite-borne observatory.

NASA's partner in SOFIA is the German Aerospace Center, which
provided the telescope. NASA modified the aircraft. A 16-foot-high
opening has been cut into the aft fuselage to permit observations to
be made at altitude. Once it arrives at Dryden, SOFIA will continue
flight and systems testing for about two years while its observatory
system hardware and software are integrated with the aircraft. The
telescope's first images are expected in 2009.

SOFIA is a joint international effort by NASA and DLR, the German
Aerospace Center. The aircraft will be based at Dryden. SOFIA's
science center is located at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, Calif. The entire effort is supported by Universities Space
Research Association (USRA), a non-profit group of universities
created in 1969 by the National Academy of Sciences, as well as the
Deutsche SOFIA Institute (DSI), Stuttgart, Germany.

For more information about SOFIA, visit:

http://www.sofia.usra.edu

For more information about NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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