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Revitalizing NASA's Suborbital Program Advancing Science, Driving Innovation, and Developing Workforce (2010) / Chapter Skim
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5 The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
Pages 48-53

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From page 48...
... • SOFIA's diverse range of instrumentation will facilitate a coordinated program of analysis of specific targets and science questions. SOFIA's 20-year design life time will enable long-term studies and follow-up of work initiated by SOFIA itself and by other observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra, Spitzer, SMA, and ASTRO-F, as well as future facilities.
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From page 49...
... This phase will focus on the various aerodynamic and operational issues related to flying SOFIA at high altitudes at cruising speeds with the external telescope cavity door open. Concurrent with these aerodynamic test flights SOFIA will begin making its first astronomical science investiga tions with a limited set of science instruments in a shared-risk arrangement.
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From page 50...
... SOURCE: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, The Science Vision for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, NASA Ames Research Center, available at http://www. sofia.usra.edu/Science/docs/SofiaScienceVision051809-1.pdf.
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From page 51...
... The atmospheric transmission windows from a good ground-based observatory site are also indicated. SOURCE: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, The Science Vision for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, NASA Ames Research Center, available at http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/docs/ SofiaScienceVision051809-1.pdf.
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From page 52...
... Adequately supported, SOFIA can be the world's leading far-infrared and submillimeter observatory for much of the next 20 or more years. -- Charles Townes, Nobel Laureate, Co-inventor of the laser, and Infrared Astronomer 5.7 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Schedule Finding: SOFIA has been a long-term development effort that will provide a platform for future IR instrumen tation development with potential for major scientific discovery as the platform will allow routine access to IR frequencies not accessible from the ground or from other spacecraft.
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From page 53...
... The next call for instruments will be at "First Science" in FY 2011. Recommendation: It is critical that NASA hold to the Fy 2011 call for proposals and create an on-going instrumentation development program to ensure that SOFIA will be operating at the cutting edge of tech nology during its entire flight lifetime.
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  • mission operations
  • budget line
  • cavity door
  • following installation
  • airborne observatory

  • mission control
  • transient events
  • major aircraft
  • space research
  • german space

  • research association
  • flying sofia
  • sofia observatory
  • major scientific
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  • entire flight
  • flight research
  • instrument commissioning
  • dryden flight
  • astronomical science


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