page_title: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
section_title: The SOFIA aircraft
hierarchical_section_title: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy / Facility / The SOFIA aircraft
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: SOFIA über den Wolken - Kürzlich erworbene Boeing 747SP auf einem Testflug über Waco, Texas (1998) English: The SOFIA aircraft, a Boeing 747SP, is pictured flying above the clouds over Waco, Texas during a test flight in 1998. In this photo, the aircraft bears the SOFIA acronym and the acronyms of the project sponsors, the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Germany's Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) but is otherwise still mostly in the livery of the aircraft's previous owner, United Airlines. A black square has been painted on the aft port fuselage to indicate the location of the 18 feet (5.5&#160;m) by 13.5 feet (4.1&#160;m) door that will be opened in flight to allow the telescope access to the sky. Français&#160;: Le boeing 747SP SOFIA, lors d'un vol d'essai en 1998, au dessus de Waco, Texas. L'avion porte les acronymes du projet (SOFIA) et des sponsors (NASA et DLR). La porte d'accès au téléscope est visible sur l'arrière de l'avion, peinte en noir. La livrée est encore celle du précédent propriétaire, United Airlines.
context_page_description: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is an 80/20 joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center to construct and maintain an airborne observatory. NASA awarded the contract for the development of the aircraft, operation of the observatory and management of the American part of the project to the Universities Space Research Association in 1996. The DSI manages the German parts of the project which are primarily science and telescope related. SOFIA's telescope saw first light on May 26, 2010. SOFIA is the successor to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. It will observe celestial magnetic fields, star-forming regions, comets, nebulae, and the galactic centre.
context_section_description: The SOFIA aircraft is a modified Boeing 747SP widebody (serial number 21441, line number 306; registration N747NA; callsign NASA747). Boeing developed the SP or "Special Performance" version of the 747 for ultra long range flights, modifying the design of the 747-100 by removing sections of the fuselage and heavily modifying others to reduce weight, thus allowing the 747SP to fly higher, faster and farther non-stop than any other 747 model of the time.
  Boeing assigned serial number 21441 (line number 306) to the airframe that would eventually become SOFIA. The first flight of this aircraft was on April 25, 1977 and Boeing delivered the aircraft to Pan American World Airways on May 6, 1977. The aircraft received its first aircraft registration, N536PA and Pan American placed the aircraft into commercial passenger service. Shortly thereafter, Pan Am named this aircraft in honor of aviator Charles Lindbergh. At the invitation of Pan Am, Lindbergh's widow, Anne, christened the aircraft Clipper Lindbergh on May 20, 1977, the 50th anniversary of the beginning of her husband's historic flight from New York to Paris in 1927.
  United Airlines purchased the plane on February 13, 1986 and the aircraft received a new aircraft registration, N145UA. The aircraft remained in service until December, 1995, when United Airlines placed the aircraft in storage near Las Vegas.
  On April 30, 1997, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) purchased the aircraft for use as an airborne observatory. On October 27, 1997 NASA purchased the aircraft from USRA. NASA conducted a series of "baseline" flight tests that year, prior to any heavy modification of the aircraft by E-Systems (later Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems then L-3 Communications Integrated Systems of Waco, Texas). To ensure successful modification, Raytheon purchased a section from another 747SP, registration number N141UA, to use as a full-size mock-up.
  Commencing work in 1998, Raytheon designed and installed a 5.5 m (18 ft) tall (arc length) by 4.1 m (13.5 ft) wide door in the aft left side of the aircraft's fuselage that can be opened in-flight to give the telescope access to the sky. The telescope is mounted in the aft end of the fuselage behind a pressurized bulkhead. The telescope's focal point is located at a science instruments suite in the pressurized, center section of the fuselage, requiring part of the telescope to pass through the pressure bulkhead. In the center of the aircraft is the mission control and science operations section, while the forward section hosts the education and public outreach area. The open fuselage has no significant influence on the aerodynamics and flight qualities of the airplane.
  At NASA's invitation, Lindbergh's grandson, Erik Lindbergh, re-christened the aircraft as Clipper Lindbergh, on May 21, 2007, the 80th anniversary of the completion of Charles Lindbergh's trans-Atlantic flight.
  During 2012 the plane received a glass cockpit upgrade along with new avionics systems.
caption: The SOFIA aircraft pictured during a test flight in 1998. Still mostly in United Airlines livery, a black square has been painted on the aft fuselage to indicate the location of the door that will be opened in flight to allow the telescope access to the sky.
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