Upper rigid door inspection

The SOFIA team lowers the upper rigid door onto a stand for inspection and servicing. SOFIA’s telescope port is the largest port ever to fly on an aircraft. The door retracts to allow the 2.7 meter (10-foot) diameter telescope to observe the universe. Image Credit: Syd Meyers.

SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, was a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 2.7-meter (106-inch) reflecting telescope (with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters or 100 inches). Flying into the stratosphere at 38,000-45,000 feet put SOFIA above 99 percent of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR.