From the September 2013 issue

A gallery of SOFIA images

Not all of the pictures made it into the magazine. Here are 10 more from Sarah Scoles’ trip to the stratosphere.
By | Published: September 23, 2013 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article presents a photographic gallery supplementing a previous piece detailing a stratospheric flight aboard the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
  • SOFIA is described as a modified Boeing 747 aircraft capable of reaching altitudes of 48,000 feet (14.6 kilometers).
  • The aircraft utilizes a telescope mounted within a fuselage aperture for astronomical observations.
  • The gallery showcases imagery from both the NASA hangar and the interior of the SOFIA aircraft itself.
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store
In “A field trip to the stratosphere,” I described my trip on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified 747 jet that flies up to 48,000 feet (14.6 kilometers) above sea level, points a telescope out a hole in its fuselage, and stares at space. Only a few pictures from that adventure could fit in the pages of a magazine, so here is a gallery of even more — a mix of shots from inside the NASA hangar and inside SOFIA.

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