Flying jet Observatory NASA

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SOFIA - Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or stratospheric observatory infrared astronomii.Udivitelnoe deal, but it's - flying observatory set up on the basis of aircraft Boeing 747s (special perfomance).
17-ton infrared telescope with a diameter of about 2.5 m mounted on a plane for a special door size of 5 to 7 meters. In flight, the sliding door opens and the telescope can make observations (picture is clickable).

Because the aircraft is flying high in the stratosphere, the atmospheric distortion is minimal and allows you to monitor, exceed the quality of the observation ground stations. And because the telescope is not installed on the satellite, he appears regularly on the ground where it can be repaired, reprogram or upgrade.

This project led NASA in conjunction with the German Aerospace Center DLR, and it is designed for at least the next 20 years. At the moment this is the only in the world of flying observatory is on the ground and extends the service, in order to then work for 20 years without interruption.

The aircraft can stay aloft for more than 12 hours and overcome during this time more than 12 thousand km Its ceiling is more than 13 km, ie he can fly above the troposphere, and leave the bottom 99.8% of water vapor that most interfere with infrared observations.

In NASA claim that by using this telescope, you can get unique pictures that no other observatory or on the surface of the Earth or in space. In addition, mobile observatory to better observe phenomena such as supernova explosions or the span of comets.



Previously, NASA used the other flying observatory on the basis of a converted military aircraft C-141, which worked from 1975 to 1995. New observatory telescope has an order of magnitude better sensitivity.

While the observatory prepared for continuous operation in Germany, scientists are making plans to use it, and hope to make at least a hundred sightseeing flights in 2015.

Source: habrahabr.ru/post/228625/

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