Wired.com: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) project, a joint project between NASA and the German space agency, the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt, had its first test flight last month over the Mojave desert.
The converted 747SP flies to a high enough altitude to get above 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere, making the instrument ideal for carrying out infrared observations of the night sky. IR radiation is generally absorbed by water vapor."The biggest modification is that we cut a huge hole in the side of the fuselage” is what NASA spokesman Alan Brown said when asked about the airplane by Wired.com, “it’s about 15 feet long.” Related Physics Today articlesNASA saves SOFIA by slashing planet-finding funds (2006) The decade of infrared astronomy (1991) Related news picksSOFIA to open door on new era of astronomy (2008) SOFIA observatory debuts at NASA-Dryden (2007)
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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