Flying the Infrared Skies: An Authentic SOFIA Educator Experience

摘要

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a unique NASA facility: it’s a telescope that takes off and lands. Sporting a primary mirror 2.5 meters (100 inches) in diameter tucked into the rear of a short-bodied Boeing 747, the flying observatory does its work at altitudes that can exceed 40,000 feet. Up there, it’s above enough of Earth’s atmosphere to fill in the infrared gap that Earth-bound observatories encounter because those longer-wavelength photons are blocked from reaching the ground by Earth’s atmosphere. Operated in partnership with the German Aerospace Center, this telescope/aircraft combination provides opportunities not only for learning more about the universe, but also for bringing numerous people along for the flight — including teachers.