Posted on 02/10/2007 2:12:28 PM PST by BenLurkin
EDWARDS AFB - NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has awarded a contract to L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, L.P., of Waco, Texas, for continued developmental and engineering work on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. The cost-plus-award-fee contract could be worth up to $26 million over a five-year period if all options are exercised. The contract took effect Friday, with a 23-month base period extending through Dec. 31, 2008. Three one-year option periods could extend the agreement from Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011.
The tasks that remain for completion of the SOFIA airborne observatory platform involve two major parts, the Airborne System and the Cavity Door Drive System. L-3 Communications will be responsible for completing development and testing of the Airborne System, including modification, fabrication, installation, integration, and verification of various systems to meet SOFIA mission requirements. In addition, L-3 is also tasked with providing engineering support and technical representation to NASA as necessary to support transition from development to operations.
The SOFIA program includes a high-altitude airborne observatory consisting of a 2.5-meter (100-inch) infrared telescope mounted in a cavity in the rear fuselage of a highly modified Boeing 747SP jetliner. Scientific instruments mounted in the observatory will be capable of celestial observations ranging from visible light through the sub-millimeter far-infrared spectrum. SOFIA is being developed jointly by NASA and the Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center).
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
Also by not doing the stretch, the C-141 with Kuiper Airborne Observatory could carry more payload (by weight) or more fuel.
Yes, and being quick to altitude and remaining there for long periods was a crucial requirement, as it is for SOFIA.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.